The Belgian admitted he was ‘unhappy’ with the situation at Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku will not be part of Chelsea’s squad to face Liverpool on Sunday afternoon following his explosive interview, as per The Athletic.
The Belgian striker is set to miss the clash against the Reds after claiming that he was unhappy at Stamford Bridge.
The 28-year-old, who has scored in successive Premier League games, gave an interview in December where he made several revelations, including a comment that he was unhappy with the style of play manager Thomas Tuchel is currently opting for.
“Physically I’m doing great. I’m just not very happy with the situation, but that’s normal,” Lukaku told Sky Sport Italia. “I think the boss has decided to play a different formation but I have to stick at it and get on with it professionally.
“I’m not happy with the situation but it’s my job and I mustn’t give up.”
Lukaku returned to Stamford Bridge in the summer in a deal worth £97.5million – making him the club’s record signing.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel considering leaving Romelu Lukaku out vs Liverpool, @JacobSteinberg and @Matt_Law_DT report tonight. Final decision will be made and confirmed tomorrow. 🔵 #CFC
More: Tuchel had face-to-face conversation with Lukaku about his interview & sentences.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 1, 2022
However, the forward’s comments have been released at the worst possible time for the Blues, with Tuchel’s side winning just two of their last six Premier League matches.
The Chelsea boss was clear in his response to Lukaku’s comments, insisting that he had created an unnecessary issue.
“We don’t like it, of course, because it brings noise that we don’t need and is not helpful. But on the other side, we don’t want to make more out of it than it actually is,” he explained in his pre-match press conference.
“You know very well how it is, it’s very easy to take lines out of context, to shorten lines to make headlines, then realise later it’s not so bad or what he meant.
“But let’s be honest, we don’t like it, because it’s noise we don’t need, we need a calm environment and focus and it does not help.”
The German is now set to punish the striker for his interview by dropping him from the squad against Liverpool on Sunday.
While Tuchel has made a clear stance against the former Inter Milan man, Chelsea are without a number of players through Covid-19 and injury.
The London outfit will be without wing-backs Ben Chilwell – who is set to miss the rest of the season – and Reece James for the home tie against Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Related links:
- Romelu Lukaku admits he wanted to stay at Inter in the summer
- Romelu Lukaku says he is unhappy with Thomas Tuchel’s system at Chelsea
- Romelu Lukaku’s agent says he has received “insults and threats” over Chelsea return
