Romelu Lukaku greeted by Roma fans upon arrival. (Credit: Twitter)
In this time of utter chaos for the Belgian personally, it was indeed no-one else but ex-boss Jose Mourinho who stepped in and has now acquired Romelu Lukaku, for his Roman side.
At a time when it seemed like every club just wanted him out, Roma swept in for the save, as Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku has joined Jose Mourinho’s side from Chelsea on a season-long loan for a reported fee of around 8 million pounds.
There is no obligation for Roma to make the deal permanent but they will cover the Belgian’s salary totalling €7.5m over 10 months. Roma’s billionaire owner, Dan Friedkin, will himself pilot a private flight from London to the Italian capital on Tuesday.
Romelu Lukaku’s loan to Roma is now agreed in principle. Understand it’s an £8m season-long loan fee and Lukaku will take a pay cut.Belgian striker set to play under Jose Mourinho once again.🐺 pic.twitter.com/oBjvlSvhMP
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) August 28, 2023
The Lukaku saga has been lively to say the least. Ever since he made his return to Inter, he was beloved by all and welcomed as their own. But, once rumours of the Belgian leaving the club for rivals Juventus broke, the relationship soured instantaneously, as the Curva Nord ultras let their exasperation be known.
“We will never see you again from now on Lukaku,” said the ultras. “You have betrayed us all. We’ve always stood up for you in tough times, now you’re stabbing us in the back. You sell yourself to the highest bidder after kissing our badge as a cheap mercenary. Before you can be a champion you have to be a man and you’re not one.”
What followed from the ultras of the other side as well was nowhere near welcoming, as the Curva Sud of Juventus sent a stern warning ahead of the move when they held up a banner outside the Allianz Stadium stating: “Lukaku stays in Milan, we already have a second goalkeeper.”
This ended up with Lukaku making a return back to the club that gave him his big break in Europe and had now loaned him, Chelsea. But, home wasn’t any sweet either, as new boss Mauricio Pochettino seemed to have different plans for the future of the club and froze Lukaku out of the squad.
In this time of utter chaos, it was indeed no-one else but the enigmatic Jose Mourinho who saw the opportunity and stepped in to acquir the Belgian striker for his Roman side. And for the first time in a while, Lukaku found himself a semblance of warmth as the Roman supporters greeted him with open arms.
Lukaku has landed in Rome, greeted by the thousands of fans that arrived to the airport in the morning just to see him.Also, Lukaku’s airplane trajectory was being followed online by around 40.000 people (!).pic.twitter.com/GMKxVx2Gnd
— IM🇵🇹 (@Iconic_Mourinho) August 29, 2023
Mourinho, who’s known to make gladiators out of mere men, has provided Lukaku with a fighting chance to prove his doubters wrong yet again. And it seems as if the striker has been aching for the same as it was reported that the Belgian took a major pay cut to take his chances with Roma and go to war on the field yet again.