Increasing debate on Rom.

[Deleted member 24970]

I have just been reading through recent threads and noticed something that is popping up more frequently in recent weeks.

The debate of our number 10 - Romelu Lukaku. How good is he and how much is he worth. That seems to be the main discussion.

For what it's worth, in my opinion, Romelu Lukaku is not worth £28m. He is worth about £15m with the potential to be £28m.

Wayne Rooney was 21 and worth £28m. He set goals up, scored goals, defended, performed in big games. Romelu has done some of the above but at 21 rooney was a different level to Rom.

Romelu is currently hit and miss. He is potentially worth £28m. Nothing more than potential in relation to his hefty fee.
In the mans defence he did not set the price tag on himself. However im sure he is well aware of it. He is his own worse enemy when it comes to his performances. He analyses everything himself. He wants to be the best. I really hope to see him at his best in a blue shirt, £28m will seem like a Tim Cahill bargain if he achieves what he wants.

He is the man who scored more goals than Messi, Ronaldo and Aguero did by time he turned 21 (may be wrong about the age quoted). He did this playing in a average belgian league, but can he do it on a wet wednesday night at stoke in the premier league ? we know the answer to that too. (cue the shouts of he hasnt scored against stoke from a stat man of GOT).

What are people's thoughts on our number 10 ? Was our hand forced by Chelsea knowing how desperate we are for strikers on a limited budget ?

Or

Has Martinez brought in the next big thing ?

Thoughts ?

 

[Leeboy]

Ups his workrate then he'll be a great player

 

[Titus Bramble]

First off, we didn't pay £28 million in one lump some up front so it's not like we spunked all of our money on him in one go. But you're right, we've paid for his potential, but he has barrels of it. At 21 he has plenty of time to improve his hold up play, first touch etc and he's keen for everyone to know he analyses all of his performances because he wants to be the best in the world. If he keeps up this mentality and he is coached properly, he could be a top, top striker.

 

[neil999]

yeah up his work rate..so he's knackered and misses chances..nothing wrong with his workrate

 

[cjuk87]

Play him upfront, get him decent service. He's worth 28m.

Play him on the wing or upfront with zero service, he's going to look like he's worth 2.8m.

There's not much Rom himself can do, some people want him doing a Michael Branch/James Vaughan, run all over the pitch chasing everything down, he's not a headless chicken. He's a very clever footballer. If we could supply him when he makes NUMEROUS runs and doesn't receive it, he'd be banging them in.

Plus, i also believe he's still not fit, be that from preseason, or his injury

 

[sageyefc]

Has a 1 in 2 goal ratio in his time in the prem, and that includes being mostly a sub at west brom, has scored against many of the big boys for us, has potential through the roof, is still only 21.

The player the haters are expecting him to be already wouldve cost us over 35 mil and over 100 grand a week. He'll have good games and he'll have bad games, but slowly but surely he'll turn into an absolute beast of a striker, IMO his touch has already improved ten fold this year.


And as for always quoting his price, 28mil is what the deal will eventualy be, we never put that much down. By the time we've paid the full amount he'd have been worth it, certain amounts will be paid upon champions league qualification or the amount of goals he scores.

 

[Gotagotmug]

He has the capability to be the best provided we set up to play to his strengths. Getting the ball behind defences for him to latch onto, passing to him as often as possible in attacking positions - how many times did he have mini-strop last season as a winger blazed over the bar etc - and give him a chance to bully defenders.

People who have already written him off need to chill out. We're two months into a new season and none of the team have been firing on all cylinders. Roms already shown himself as someone who needs confidence to be at his best and he'll get that as we start winning games - there's no doubt that he was at his best when the team was at their best last season.

His first touch is looking better than last season and Europa will be his chance to prove he is one of Europe's best strikers. Eto'o will push him to produce some form and when players like Pienaar and Coleman are fit, he'll have more chances to score.

Chelsea got a fair price for a striker in my eyes considering Rom is one of the most consistant strikers in the league. He might be streaky - 8 goals in 9 games, followed by 1 in 9 irc last season - but we have enough players to score goals when he isn't firing and God help the poor teams who face us when he is.

 

[bicycleheader]

If he continues as he is, and doesn´t listen to people who just want him legging around and "upping his workrate" he will be a very good player. We will make better use of him soon. I wouldn´t want our main striker, coming back from inury to be using all his energy in hustling the defence constantly. I´d want him to come alive when we finally work some space for him or find him with a pass when he makes one of his many decent runs.

I don´t see enough in him yet to see world class, but he will be a very good player for us. He is already one of the highest rated strikers in the league by other teams playing us, I would imagine.

There´s as much evidence, if not more, in the current transfer market to show the value vs his goals ratio in the prem league was not bad business at all. Especially if we are to believe we have actually paid less and there is a huge amount of add-on clauses.

 

[beachy]

I want to see him continue the partnership with Nais as a duo centrally. When Pienaar comes back on the left, it gives the team more balance.

 

[Deleted member 28206]

Something something potential something something only 21.


AMIRITE?

 

[Kiwi]

My first comment would be we all know his weakness, a crap first touch and hold up play.
My second comment would be that we all know his strengths which are pace, power, and finishing.
My third comment is that we didn't pay 28million up front. Others have alluded to this, but a significant proportion of the 28million will be add ons. It suits both Everton (record fee paid) and Chelsea (didn't let a very promising striker go cheap) to say the bigger fee, but in reality the transfer fee will be much smaller if you exclude add-ons
My final comment would be that he is still 21, has scored 34 in 82 in the Premier League before the age of 22 and has clearly improved his touch and hold up in the short time we've seen him this season as opposed to where he was last season.
To summarise, anyone writing him off yet is daft because Lukaku is quite good and will only get better and score more superfootball goals for Everton.

 

[Allezfan]

He'll be the best in the world when he hits his peak. Don't care how hyperbolic that sounds.

Utterly delighted that he's ours.

 

[Timak]

Wayne Rooney was 21 and worth £28m. He set goals up, scored goals, defended, performed in big games. Romelu has done some of the above but at 21 rooney was a different level to Rom.

Well duh.

We sold Rooney when he was 18 for £27m or so when he was regarded as the best young player in the world.

That was 10 years ago, £27m then was about £50m now.

Lukaku isn't the best young player in the world but I'm struggling to think of anyone of the same age who plays as a striker who is any better.

 

[Tubey]

He's performing exactly as I expected him to perform in the system we currently play.

If we continue to play this system and he continues to fail to adapt his game to it, then he'll be a waste of money, but I think either we'll change and build a side around him, or he'll become a more complete player, and then we'll see it's money well spent.

 

[ijjysmith]

Funny how these threads about Rom (of which there are about 75 now) when he hasn't scored the previous match.