Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has backed Romelu Lukaku to thrive at Chelsea and believes he is the ‘perfect player’ to take Thomas Tuchel’s team to the next level.
The Blues are expected to complete the signing of Romelu Lukaku over the coming days – in a deal worth up to £97.5m – after giving up hope of landing Dortmund star Erling Haaland.
The Belgium international, who scored the second most goals in Serie A last campaign, will have huge expectations on his shoulders given the eye-watering price tag that will follow him to the club.
But Martinez believes Lukaku will not disappoint, despite the player’s previous underwhelming spell in London from 2011 to 2014.
‘The valuation in the market is completely gone. It’s now about how much you are prepared to pay in the market to bring a player to a club,’ the Belgium head coach told talkSPORT.
‘Chelsea is a club that is very close to his heart – he made his first move from Belgium there at a very young age. ‘I think his way of looking at it is that he wants to win titles.
‘When you bring a player who is so focused, in the best moment of his career and nearly at 100 caps with his national team – the all-time record goalscorer – it’s not about the valuation it’s about what he can bring to that team.
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‘After Chelsea won the Champions League, he is the perfect player to bring the squad forward and make them better.’
Martinez feels Lukaku has taken his game to another level since leaving Manchester United for Inter Milan back in 2019. He added: ‘Lukaku isn’t just a goalscorer, but he’s an exceptional goalscorer.
‘It’s always been in his DNA but now he can affect others and have a big influence in both boxes. ‘He’s taken his game to a very different level. That level is doing everything to win games and win titles.’
