Chelsea’s Transfer Frenzy: New Midfield Maestros, Ziyech’s Departure, and Lukaku’s Uncertain Future

Chelsea witnessed another bustling week of transfers. Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia were signed, bringing in a whopping £173m of midfield prowess, while Lewis Hall and Hakim Ziyech were on their way out.

Amidst the flurry of moves at Stamford Bridge, Romelu Lukaku stood his ground.

The forward, seemingly becoming an afterthought, didn’t partake in the transfer shuffle. At £97.5m, he now stands without a designated shirt number, a spot in Mauricio Pochettino’s team, and apparently no clear path to conclude his stint in Chelsea limbo.

The possibility of rejoining Inter dissolved amidst disagreements after Lukaku’s apparent inclination towards Juventus. Proposals from the Saudi Pro League haven’t yet lured the Belgian forward.

Having netted 121 goals in 278 Premier League games, one could argue Lukaku still has much to offer at the pinnacle of football. Maybe, if the transfer window shuts without a solution, Lukaku might just rise to further bolster Chelsea’s attack.

A long shot, true. The aim is still to sell Lukaku and the Saudi window does not shut until 20 September. Hopes of a rapprochement are low.

Chelsea and Lukaku were seeking to end the relationship long before Pochettino took over in June and the impression is of a player who has checked out mentally. “Nothing changed,” Chelsea’s head coach said before Sunday’strip to West Ham. “I didn’t talk with him. The situation was clear before we arrived between the club and the player.”

Pressed further, Pochettino made clear he was not thinking about reintegrating Lukaku if nothing has changed after the window shuts. “We need to be focused on the team. We cannot expend energy on a situation that was clear before we started at Chelsea.”

It is a ruthless attitude. The aim of Chelsea’s owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, is to build a squad of hungry young players on long, incentivised contracts.

They have allowed a lot of experienced players to leave this summer and Lukaku does not fit with the project. He is 30, demotivated and on a huge contract.

The curious thing, though, is that Chelsea have spent close to £1bn on transfers since last summer and still look short of goals, especially with Christopher Nkunku at the beginning of a long journey back after knee surgery.

They have full-backs galore, options in central defence and depth in midfield, but Pochettino is still talking about looking for attacking additions.