Lukaku is the jigsaw piece that doesn’t fit Chelsea puzzle

Many people fell into the trap of thinking Romelu Lukaku would complete Chelsea, but Kai Havertz looks a far better fit under Thomas Tuchel.

When Chelsea secured the £97.5m signing of Romelu Lukaku last summer, there weren’t many dissenting voices, neutral or otherwise. Rather, it was the popular belief that the Blues, years after selling him to Everton without ever really giving him a chance at Stamford Bridge, had found the missing piece of their puzzle.

That he would take them all the way wasn’t a view shared by everybody, but there was a sense of unanimity in the idea that Lukaku would make a positive difference to the Blues’ potential title hopes. They have been flagging behind both Liverpool and Manchester City ever since they were last crowned champions in 2017 under Antonio Conte. Not for much longer.

Perhaps part of the thinking was wishful. Liverpool, City or both had decimated competition in the league since Chelsea were knocked off their perch, in a manner that caused many to speculate on similarities with La Liga, the Bundesliga and the Scottish Premiership. There were claims it was becoming a foregone conclusion, the very notion of which its most ardent of backers had rallied so robustly against for years. Chelsea, who had been missing a regular striker with real pedigree and panache since Conte banished Diego Costa, could add the layer of intrigue everybody yearned for.

There was logic behind predictions of success. It was in Italy at Internazionale where Lukaku had proven himself most, ironically under Conte. The Nerazzurri were reeling from years in exile as a force in Serie A, but with their talismanic striker and combustible coach, they were bolting the horse again. In their first season at San Siro,