Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku confirms he has taken the No 9 shirt at Stamford Bridge and is ready to be unleashed against London rivals Arsenal in Sunday’s Premier League showdown
- Chelsea signed striker Romelu Lukaku for a club-record of £98million last week
- Lukaku previously spent three years on Chelsea’s books between 2011 and 2014
- The 28-year-old took part in his first training session back at Chelsea on Tuesday
- He has confirmed that he has taken the No 9 shirt at Stamford Bridge this season
- The striker could feature for Thomas Tuchel’s side on Sunday against Arsenal
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku says he is ready to make his second debut for the Blues against Arsenal this weekend.
Lukaku, who took part in his first training session with the squad on Tuesday after completing his £98million switch from Inter Milan, says he is ‘happy’ to be back and that he is looking forward to getting started with his team-mates.
The Belgian striker also confirmed that he has taken the No 9 shirt at Stamford Bridge.
Romelu Lukaku (above) says he is ready to make his second debut for the Blues against Arsenal
Speaking of his first training session back at Chelsea, Lukaku said: ‘It was good to be back. It doesn’t feel knew as I knew a few of the players from before. So I am really happy to be here.
‘It’s a good feeling. The guys are hungry and they want to keep winning. In training yesterday I could see there was a good intensity.’
Lukaku also dismissed claims that he would struggle to adapt to Chelsea’s 3-4-3 system as he has experience playing such a formation with Belgium.
Lukaku also dismissed claims that he would struggle to adapt to Thomas Tuchel’s (above) 3-4-3 system as he has experience playing such a formation with Belgium
Lukaku previously wore the No 18 shirt at Chelsea (above) but will now wear the No 9 shirt
He did, however, say it would be important to communicate with his team-mates and ask questions over the ‘next few weeks’.
Speaking at his first press conference, he said: ‘It is about communication, I am open-minded, I ask my teammates questions, where they want the ball, so the next few weeks is important to be open with my mindset.
‘I don’t think I need to adapt too much because I play the same system with Belgium.’
When quizzed on his thoughts about wearing the No 9 shirt for the 2021-2022 season, Lukaku said: ‘I’ve got the No 9 yes. I’m very happy and fortunate to be in this situation.’
More to follow…
