Gus Poyet claims Mauricio Pochettino has a huge decision to make over the future of Romelu Lukaku ahead of next season.
Former Chelsea midfielder Poyet believes Lukaku, who spent last season on loan at Inter after falling out with former Blues boss Thomas Tuchel, will be hard to integrate back into the team this season. Doing so, Poyet believes, might mean Pochettino – who was recently announced as Chelsea’s new manager ahead of next season – ripping up his system in order to accommodate the Belgian.
“With [Romelu] Lukaku’s future, it depends on the way Chelsea are going to play – the coach needs to decide whether or not he wants him there,” Poyet tells 888 Sport. “I don’t think Romelu is a player you can adapt to any kind of system or style of play.
“He needs certain deliveries and spaces on the pitch in order for him to be the player that we all know. It depends really on what Pochettino thinks he’s going to need as a number 9 – so that’s another decision he will need to make.”
On the other hand, Poyet has backed Mykhailo Mudryk to bounce back following a tough first six months in English football. The Ukrainian was signed in January to great anticipation, yet didn’t manage a single goal in 15 Premier League appearances for the Blues.
“Last year, I made a mistake, and I’m not afraid of saying it,” says Poyet. “When Chelsea signed Mykhailo Mudryk, I thought it was outstanding, I thought, ‘Wow, what an unbelievable player!’ Then I remembered what happened to me and loads of other foreign players when they first move to England – everyone is different and we all need different amounts of time to adapt to football.
“We think we are good enough and say, ‘Tomorrow I will play and be the best player on the pitch,’ but football is different and life is different – we all adapt in our own times. I think new players and foreign players – including myself when I played – they need to be careful, because I know what can happen to all of them.”
More Chelsea stories
Chelsea transfer news is also starting to gather pace.
The Blues have been linked with Sadio Mane, along with Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, in a bid to improve their squad, while Manuel Ugarte appears to be PSG-bound. Kylian Mbappe could be on the cards, too, while Andre Onana is still on the radar.
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