Romelu Lukaku has lifted the lid on his bitter Chelsea exit, revealing a solution that could have completely avoided all of the controversy with Thomas Tuchel.
The controversy between Romelu Lukaku and Thomas Tuchel remains one of the most explosive fallout stories in modern Chelsea history.
Just months after rejoining the Blues in a blockbuster £97.5 million transfer, Lukaku completely blindsided the club by giving an unauthorised interview to Sky Italia. In it, the Belgian striker publicly questioned Tuchel’s tactical system, expressed deep unhappiness with his role, and openly flirted with a return to Inter Milan.
Tuchel then immediately dropped him for a Premier League clash against Liverpool. Though Lukaku later issued a public apology to the manager and supporters, the relationship never truly recovered.
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Romelu Lukaku regrets his Chelsea actions
Speaking to CANAL+ Sport Afrique on YouTube, Lukaku says he regrets how he handled his second Chelsea spell and wishes he communicated better with Tuchel.
“Yeah. I was kind of like a kid back then, and the people managing me at the time… I look back and think about it. And today I tell myself: I was actually doing really well.
“And maybe that’s where I should have gone to the coach and said: ‘What do you expect from me so this can work? And maybe can I also give you some input about it but you remain the coach.’
“Then we see if it works. If it works, great. If not, we find a solution afterward. But that stays internal.
“And I think with hindsight, that’s the conversation I could have had.
“And honestly, I’ve never held grudges. If I saw him now, I’d look at him and say: ‘Your ideas were beautiful.’ There should have been more conversations, tactical conversations, even before I signed. Because before I signed, I only spoke with him once.”
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Romelu Lukaku shares what he would have done differently
The striker also shared how he would have approached the situation if he could go back in time and what he would say to Thomas Tuchel if he saw him now.
“I’m about to turn 33 — you start reflecting. I think there were certain conversations that should have happened. Or maybe I should have gone to the coach and said, ‘Come on, let’s have a conversation.’ So we could clear the air. Set things straight, and at least try. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, then we find a solution.
“And that’s something I say with hindsight. Because I’ve said it before — when I see things that I think aren’t right or fair, my mind moves very quickly. But now I don’t have that same energy anymore.
“And that’s something… I could talk about it forever. If I saw Thomas and I would tell him: with the team we had, we should have achieved more.
“That team won the Champions League, you know. But the year after, when I arrived, the goal was to do well in the Champions League but also in the league.
“Then we got eliminated by Real Madrid. Over there, when Karim did… Karim things.
“For me, he had one of the greatest Champions League campaigns I’ve ever seen. End of story. Because of the goals he scored in those matches — there’s no debate.
“And then in the league we were up and down. We started really well, but afterward… you know.
“I also did some crazy things…”
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