London: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has claimed that he sold Romelu Lukaku to Everton because the Belgian striker did not have the stomach to fight for a place at Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku joined Everton in a club-record £28 million (Dh174.06 million) transfer on Wednesday, having scored 16 goals in 33 appearances while on loan at Goodison Park last season.
The 21-year-old faced competition from new signing Diego Costa and returning club great Didier Drogba at Chelsea, and Mourinho felt that he did not possess the drive to win a first-team place.
“Romelu was always clear that in his mentality and his approach he was not highly motivated to come to a competitive situation at Chelsea,” Mourinho told Thursday’s edition of British newspaper the Daily Mirror.
“He wanted to play for Chelsea, but clearly only as first-choice striker. And at a club of our dimension, it’s very difficult to promise a player that status.
“That reduced immediately his desire to come to us. After that, Everton came with an important offer and because we want to be inside (UEFA’s) Financial Fair Play rules, you have to analyse these situations.”
Lukaku was dubbed the heir apparent to Drogba when he joined Chelsea from Anderlecht in 2011, but he made only 15 appearances during his three years with the west London club.
The Belgium international, who played at the World Cup, revealed that he had left Chelsea without speaking to Mourinho.
“I spoke with my agent and, then from that moment on, I left it up to him as I was on holiday,” said Lukaku, who has signed a five-year contract with Everton. “I made my decision and then didn’t speak too much about it.”
Asked if he had spoken to Mourinho immediately prior to leaving, Lukaku replied: “No, I think he was busy with the game (Chelsea’s friendly against Vitesse Arnhem on Wednesday).”
Despite failing to make the grade at Chelsea, Lukaku said that he had no regrets about his time at the club.
“Chelsea is a big club and sometimes it is difficult for young players to come through,” he said.
“I want to have a good career and I didn’t want to spend 10 years on the bench. I wanted to make the best out of every year.
“This (Everton) is a club with a lot of ambition and it’s the right place to be. You don’t have to have regrets in football. Choices have to be made.”
Everton manager Roberto Martinez described Lukaku’s arrival as “a very significant day in the history of our football club” and said the Belgian was “worth every single penny”.
Lukaku’s move to Everton was finally confirmed late on Wednesday after paperwork issues, hours after he had tweeted a picture of himself seated on the jet, giving a thumbs-up along with the caption: “Time to write a new chapter”. He had been ordered to join Mourinho’s first team on their pre-season tour of Holland but Everton made their move late on Tuesday night.
The deal for Lukaku is a club record, significantly more than the £15-million David Moyes paid for Marouane Fellaini in 2008, and Martinez will be relieved to finally land his No 1 target of the summer after what chairman Bill Kenwright described as an “11-month quest”.
Despite Mourinho’s problems with Lukaku since his return to west London, the decision to sell him represents significant backing for the manager from the Chelsea hierarchy. Members of the board and technical staff have been opposed to the sale, believing Lukaku’s hopes of becoming a success at Chelsea were realistic. But the transfer fee will eventually come close to Chelsea’s price tag of €30 million (Dh147.60 million) after add-ons.
Martinez said: “Welcoming Romelu Lukaku back to Everton on a permanent basis is the news that all Evertonians wanted to hear. We know that Romelu is still a young man and the potential that he has is quite unique, and we are desperate to see him enjoying his football and to watch him grow as footballer in the years to come. The arrival of Rom is more than just a signing, it’s the fruition of a lot of hard work to get the player we wanted. This is a big moment for Everton’s history and the perfect way of getting the squad ready for the start of the season.”
Chelsea are now poised to move a number of their fringe players out on loan, with Christian Atsu expected to join Sunderland.
Atsu, a Ghana international, is highly regarded by the Chelsea staff and could spend the season at the Stadium of Light.
England under-21 international forward Patrick Bamford is also set to join Middlesbrough after Aitor Karanka, their manager, utilised his relationship with Mourinho.
Karanka worked with Mourinho at Real Madrid and is on the brink of taking Bamford, who impressed on loan at Derby County last season.
Ryan Bertrand is also joining Southampton on a season-long loan. Chelsea recorded their fourth win in five pre-season games last night, a 3-1 victory over Vitesse Arnhem.
Cesc Fabregas scored his first Chelsea goal as Mourinho’s new-look team underlined why they will undoubtedly be contenders for the Premier League title. Fabregas curled in an excellent free-kick while Diego Costa impressed with two assists and a menacing performance. Mohammad Salah and Nemanja Matic scored the other goals.
Didier Drogba sat in the stands while Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois have also joined up with the squad. Andre Schuerrle, Ramires and Oscar will report back on Monday.
— With inputs from The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2014
