I'm not sure there will be a happy ending to this, a huge call by Tommy. I do hope the board now backs him fully, even if the backend of our season does go tits up, I quite like him as our coach and a bit of stability wouldn't go a miss. That said Lukaku is an investment, an asset of the club. The interview has potentially devalued his transfer fee considerably, not many clubs will be able to afford such a large fee. Plus his apparent love for Inter has in effect removed other clubs in Italy from the race. We are stuck with a greatly devalued asset, who will take all of Marina's prowess to gain a reasonable fee...black holes in our finances could force us to take the money reputedly on offer for Gallagher. Can he be rehabilitated? I honestly don't know...what match do you bring him back? The decision gets harder as the days advance, plus will the matchday public forgive him? This is a huge month for the club that just got bigger.

As a side note isn't it typical that although this interview was given 3/4 weeks ago its only now comes to light in the lead up to a big match.

Management must be a f**king nightmare at times. I can't imagine the conversation they had. 

1 hour ago, charierre said:

 I'm not sure there will be a happy ending to this, a huge call by Tommy. I do hope the board now backs him fully, even if the backend of our season does go tits up, I quite like him as our coach and a bit of stability wouldn't go a miss. That said Lukaku is an investment, an asset of the club. The interview has potentially devalued his transfer fee considerably, not many clubs will be able to afford such a large fee. Plus his apparent love for Inter has in effect removed other clubs in Italy from the race. We are stuck with a greatly devalued asset, who will take all of Marina's prowess to gain a reasonable fee...black holes in our finances could force us to take the money reputedly on offer for Gallagher. Can he be rehabilitated? I honestly don't know...what match do you bring him back? The decision gets harder as the days advance, plus will the matchday public forgive him? This is a huge month for the club that just got bigger.

As a side note isn't it typical that although this interview was given 3/4 weeks ago its only now comes to light in the lead up to a big match.

It would have probably been worse if this came out a few weeks ago. The interview was apparently after the United game which was a point we were in a good place (despite the frustrating draw in that game). I'd like to say it surprised me that he done this as soon as he's not guarenteed a starting place but unfortunately not.

56 minutes ago, wizardous said:

Pulisic - Real Madrid (goal and assist), Man City 

Ziyech - Man City (twice), Atletico, Villarreal

Not too bad, right?

Fair, maybe I was exaggerating a bit by saying 2years,  but all of those were last season. This season Ziyech and Pulisic have barely been a threat at goal and I don't trust either of them leading the line against Liverpool. 

28 minutes ago, Sindre said:

💥 

11 minutes ago, charierre said:

As a side note isn't it typical that although this interview was given 3/4 weeks ago its only now comes to light in the lead up to a big match.

This point is exactly why I said earlier that we have allowed the media to win. The timing of this interview all seems orchestrated and now this story is going to be shadowing the club for the rest of the season. We're f**ked either way.

Edited January 2, 20224 yr by Frankie8Lampard

Why didn't the dick take a pay cut to stay in Italy. If he loved it there so much, he could have done it. Here was the salary list at Inter: 

 

35 minutes ago, Kev56 said:

Thank you so much Lukaku, you f**king brain dead c**t. You've f**ked up big time. I've said it before we signed him bad, bad, bad move, no good for this club. been going to the Bridge now for 54years and never have i felt so wound up with this f**king prick, and for all those who didn't/can't see what a c**t this useless w**ker is tough, because he has single handedly f**ked this club up.

I have just had to rinse out the swear filter after that post 

Inter don't  have the cash. Lukaku didn't  love the club enough to take a pay cut and the fans are happy with Dzeko and Correa and can't  stand the big lump.  

Anyways give him the Malouda treatment for running his fat gob and let him f*ck off. Mess. 

2 minutes ago, enigma said:

Why didn't the dick take a pay cut to stay in Italy. If he loved it there so much, he could have done it. Here was the salary list at Inter: 

 

And that highlights the absolute insanity of the package he was offered to come here.

Marina a world-class negotiator my arse ... 

 

 

To be honest I tried to get behind him because he says he supports chelsea and he was looking so good in Italy but my underlying feeling always was that he is a bit of an arsehole, and here we are.

He was being played even when he made us worse, then he gets injured and we start to look like ourselves again, then he gets minutes back and gets Covid and again after that he gets back in the squad.

What is it he wants exactly? To play injured or with Covid? To play when he isn’t match fit. 
 

Honestly he hasn’t done anything to warrant loyalty I’m glad he was left out, we have great harmony in the team it’s not worth him at a difficult period messing that up. 
 

He is a big investment but what was he thinking that the interview would make TT realise how much he loves him and play him always regardless, what bad judgment he has. 
 

Why the F would inter want him anyway they are top of the league and 97 million up. 
 

F him the team is bigger than him. 

Edited January 2, 20224 yr by SFL82

10 minutes ago, Frankie8Lampard said:

This point is exactly why I said earlier that we have allowed the media to win. The timing of this interview all seems orchestrated and now this story is going to be shadowing the club for the rest of the season. We're f**ked either way.

You can't blame the media for it. I would not be at all surprised if the whole interview was set up with Sky Italia by Lukaku or his agents in the first place.

You reap what you sow, I have zero sympathy and couldn’t give a toss if he gets whacked in the reserves for the rest of the season and sold for a packet of crisps in the summer.

42 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

Can't we just put him in the stocks for a week outside Stamford Bridge, and ensure a good supply of rotten fruit is on hand ?

Oh, and fine him as well.

And then sell him to some obscure team in Qatar !

£98m would be fair.

1 hour ago, Term_X said:

Well, sorry to hurst your bubble but it’s all real. Tuchel cares, the club cares, and now we have the proof. It’s not a frenzy, or “blindly interpreted” or stupid fans getting their knickers in a twist either. 

I had no bubble to begin with, it's really water off a duck's back to me. As much as people see it one way, I see it another. Whatever Tuchel thinks or feels is not guiding my opinion. I can be wrong on anything, so can he. He's not infallable, nobody is.

Edited January 2, 20224 yr by Valerie

2 minutes ago, Backbiter said:

£98m would be fair.

Indeed ! :-) 

 

I did wonder whether we might sell him and then sue him for the difference between what we paid and what we might now get  ... 

We do have previous for legal action with Mutu after all :-)

39 minutes ago, charierre said:

 I'm not sure there will be a happy ending to this, a huge call by Tommy. I do hope the board now backs him fully, even if the backend of our season does go tits up, I quite like him as our coach and a bit of stability wouldn't go a miss. That said Lukaku is an investment, an asset of the club. The interview has potentially devalued his transfer fee considerably, not many clubs will be able to afford such a large fee. Plus his apparent love for Inter has in effect removed other clubs in Italy from the race. We are stuck with a greatly devalued asset, who will take all of Marina's prowess to gain a reasonable fee...black holes in our finances could force us to take the money reputedly on offer for Gallagher. Can he be rehabilitated? I honestly don't know...what match do you bring him back? The decision gets harder as the days advance, plus will the matchday public forgive him? This is a huge month for the club that just got bigger.

As a side note isn't it typical that although this interview was given 3/4 weeks ago its only now comes to light in the lead up to a big match.

Maybe China..

That will be ideal for him too.. He can be the the Big Rom in a small pond... He can afford to have bad first touches and still score a hatful..

He’s scored two game in a row, this was his huge chance to stake his place in team and really become a big player for us.

All of that has gone down the drain because of his f*cking gob. He only has himself to blame, he’s truly f**ked up here. 

3 minutes ago, acidicleo said:

Maybe China..

That will be ideal for him too.. He can be the the Big Rom in a small pond... He can afford to have bad first touches and still score a hatful..

That bubble has burst. Transfer tax and owners like Evergrande on the verge of collapse.

26 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

And that highlights the absolute insanity of the package he was offered to come here.

Marina a world-class negotiator my arse ... 

 

 

It's one of my issues with the board. They have spent so much money on players who end up failing. 

1 hour ago, Term_X said:

The comments by a few posters on here is why we’re such a circus at times, too many don’t care about stuff like this or defend the perpetrator, player power took over to the point now where we’re so blasé about players dragging the club through the mud. Pep has dropped Foden & Grealish for going out, in the past Ferguson has done this countless times, dropping players for doing or saying something he doesn’t like. As pointed out before, Chelsea managers have indeed had the odd win here and there with players. However, I feel we’re always another ‘incident’ away from a Lukaku-gate, which isn’t as prevalent at clubs that have built a culture of backing the manager to the hill. 

Dropping Foden & Grealish can’t be compared to dropping a Lukaku. Foden is a player Pep gave a chance to from the youth team, and Grealish has just made a move to a big team from a smaller one. I would draw parallels with the Salah situation at Liverpool. Salah through his agent has been demanding to be made the highest player in the league, wages the club can’t afford. His agent has been publicly inviting offers from the biggest clubs at Europe but no one is biting because of the fees Liverpool will demand. Klopp has kept a lid on things by not dropping him or criticising him because he doesn’t want to risk upsetting Salah.

In the modern game players have more power than managers, and he wouldn’t be the 1st to do it. Drogba did it, Costa acted up also. Even further afield, Ronaldo & Messi always acted up annually when they demanded improved contracts from their respective clubs. These big players don’t want to compete for a place, and are always demanding more money. The trick is handle it internally in the short run, and come to an arrangement with them that doesn’t derail your season.  

25 minutes ago, coco said:

You can't blame the media for it. I would not be at all surprised if the whole interview was set up with Sky Italia by Lukaku or his agents in the first place.

Of course that’s the case he doesn’t just show up on his tod off the cuff. These things are planned. 

Ive seen record signings flop here over and over again, but I honestly cant believe how bizarre this situation has become. I like Lukaku as a player, always have. I was happy for him to return, since Haaland wasnt possible. 

When the 1st part of the interview broke, i thought it was a bit of a storm in a tea cup, but the more that comes out, and seeing Tuchel's response, it looks more and more damning. 

I dont think he has a genuine complaint about game time, he was injured for a long time, and eased back in. It just seems he is trying to engineer a move away, but im not sure how practical that is given his price tag. 

Im backing Tuchel 100%, Lukaku will get a chance at some sort of redemption between now and the end the season, but he needs to be dropped, for TT to maintain authority, and if i was Marina, i would be looking at solutions for the summer. 

Long way back for Lukaku now, even if he wants to be a success here. 

 

3 minutes ago, ducavis said:

Dropping Foden & Grealish can’t be compared to dropping a Lukaku. Foden is a player Pep gave a chance to from the youth team, and Grealish has just made a move to a big team from a smaller one. I would draw parallels with the Salah situation at Liverpool. Salah through his agent has been demanding to be made the highest player in the league, wages the club can’t afford. His agent has been publicly inviting offers from the biggest clubs at Europe but no one is biting because of the fees Liverpool will demand. Klopp has kept a lid on things by not dropping him or criticising him because he doesn’t want to risk upsetting Salah.

In the modern game players have more power than managers, and he wouldn’t be the 1st to do it. Drogba did it, Costa acted up also. Even further afield, Ronaldo & Messi always acted up annually when they demanded improved contracts from their respective clubs. These big players don’t want to compete for a place, and are always demanding more money. The trick is handle it internally in the short run, and come to an arrangement with them that doesn’t derail your season.  

If Lukaku was putting in Salah numbers, then he might actually have some player power!

35 minutes ago, coco said:

I have just had to rinse out the swear filter after that post 

Good job i haven’t got Tourette’s