Romelu Lukaku has revealed he re-joined Chelsea this summer as the “timing” was right, following two opportunities to return in 2016 and 2017.

The Belgium striker initially joined the Blues in 2011 but failed to get going at Stamford Bridge under limited playing time.

He then joined West Brom on loan where he was hugely successful, before joining Everton on a permanent deal after also spending time on loan at Goodison Park.

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Lukaku signed for Manchester United in 2017, struggling once again at a Premier League giant.

However, he found his feet at Inter Milan after the Serie A outfit splashed out over £60million for the 28-year-old in 2019.

He was managed by former Blues boss Antonio Conte and enjoyed the best football of his career whilst at the San Siro club.

The striker helped Inter win the league title in 2020/21 and scored 64 goals in 95 matches during his time in Italy.

After a turbulent summer transfer window at the Bridge, the Londoners decided to bring Lukaku back in a £97.5m transfer. Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland had been heavily linked with a move before Lukaku’s signing.

“I knew I would improve as a player, so it was just about timing,” the Belgian told Chelsea.com about his return to the European champions.

“I had two opportunities to come back, in 2016 and 2017, but it didn’t happen for various reasons.

'It gave me the mentality and the mindset that I needed to become the player I am today.'
“It happened because now is the right time, the right age, the team is doing well and everything is there for it to be successful.”

Lukaku’s struggled at Man Utd, which led to a lot of criticism about his fitness and technical ability.

However, his time in Italy proved the doubters wrong as he improved his fitness and put any criticism about his skillset to bed.

The 28-year-old admits he is much more “calm” these days and feels like a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders after his brilliant spell with Inter.

“I’m much calmer,’ he added. “I’ve matured with fatherhood and I’m more laidback. After winning in Italy and knowing what it takes to get there, that helped me. In the last three years, I’ve been able to build something that I can take on for the rest of my career.

“It can be complicated but when you set your mind to do something and you dedicate everything that you have to that goal, you can achieve it. I recognized my little qualities and talent but I also knew what I was not good at and I spent a lot of time working on those attributes to be the complete package.”

Source: F365