Chelsea ace Romelu Lukaku could be dropped by Thomas Tuchel for Liverpool clash following controversial interview
According to The Telegraph (Subscription Required), Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is considering dropping Romelu Lukaku from the clash against Liverpool following his unauthorized interview.
The 28-year-old star did an interview with Sky Sports Italia in early December, stating his angst about his playing situation at Chelsea and his love for former club, Inter Milan. It has since been found out that it was an unauthorized interview and it was conducted at his house.
Thomas Tuchel was certainly not happy about this and claimed that the matter shall be resolved internally. The hierarchy is also in agreement with the German manager about this incident. He could be charged with a fine for agreeing to an unauthorized interview, and there could now be further repercussions.
The gaffer is considering leaving him out for the clash against Liverpool on Sunday. Some sources have also apparently suggested that the player could be left out of the squad in itself. However, it is yet to be determined whether he faces a verbal dressing down or a one-game ban.
The right call?
It is important to understand that this is a rare situation. A player of Lukaku’s is normally wise enough to not do such unpleasant things. His frustrations are understandable, and one can sympathize with them. But the interview has ruined his place in the hearts of many Chelsea fans, at least in the short term.
He could be the difference-maker in the game against Liverpool. Thus, dropping him could hurt our title ambitions, while allowing him to play could set the wrong precedent. Tuchel will, hence, have to make the right call.
It’s hard to gauge what the fans would want from this situation, but the ultimate goal is to win trophies and we must ensure that we can get wins in big games, especially against title rivals. If Lukaku has to play for that, then so be it.
Regardless, what happened was wrong and does not need to be repeated. The German boss made it clear later as well when he responded to what the striker needs to do right now by stating that he needs to ‘train, play, and not do interviews.’ Thus, the former Inter Milan ace has really ruffled quite a lot of feathers at Stamford Bridge.
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If he is dropped on the weekend, then it is a good thing that Timo Werner and Kai Havertz were in training recently. The latter was in the squad for the Brighton clash while his fellow countryman has just come out of isolation following testing positive for Covid-19. However, only time will tell who leads the line in the hotly contested tie against Liverpool on Sunday.
As for the former Everton, West Brom and Manchester United striker, Lukaku, he is contracted to us until 2026 and is our club-record signing. And hence it would be surprising, to say the very least, if the club lets him go based on just one interview.