Sorry, Lukaku, But You Aren’t As Good As You Think You Are

With an impressive goals per game record for someone at such a young age, a physique that would strike fear into even the most hardened of defenders, and a tendency to produce moments of absolute magic, many have bought into the hype surrounding Romelu Lukaku, including the prolific Belgian himself.

The harsh truth, however, is that Lukaku simply isn’t as good as his astronomical price tag or his opportunistic father would lead you to believe.

Ask any Evertonian who’s watched him over the past three years and they won’t wax as lyrically as you might think they would, especially since he recently admitted his desire to leave Everton for bigger and better things with a lack of respect to the team and its fans.

“In my head I know where I want to go but I’m keeping that to myself. You will know when it is concluded. I have to make a good choice but in my head that has happened already.”

On paper, Lukaku would be a shoo-in for any of the biggest teams in Europe. He has managed 61 goals in 104 games for an Everton team that has been struggling for the majority of his time there and has improved his game a great deal, particularly in a positional and tactical sense.

As every football fan and pundit will tell you though, stats can easily lie. Romelu Lukaku is one of the most infuriating strikers in the world to watch and some distance off being one of the world’s best.

His first-touch, although better than when he first arrived at Everton from Chelsea, still leaves a lot to be desired. Whenever he does hold the ball up effectively, the cheers from the Goodison faithful tell you all you need to know about his inconsistencies. As much as he contributes goals, he also seems to need at least three clear attempts before he can finally find the net. This was no more evident than in the semi-final of the FA Cup when he missed a penalty and failed to take advantage of an alarming amount of opportunities in front of goal. If Lukaku had lived up to his own hype that day and on many others, Everton’s recent struggles would be less of a concern.

As impressive as his goal return for Everton has been, a deeper look into his stats will tell you the whole story. He can indeed score his fair share, there’s no denying that, but there are frequently periods of the season when he doesn’t score at all. The Belgian started the 2015/16 season superbly, at one point going on a streak of twelve goals in twelve games, but later went on to record just two in the last twelve Premier League games. Which statistic is most telling of the kind of player Lukaku is?

To those who wonder how Lukaku would fare in a team that could provide genuinely excellent service to him, you just need to look at the majority of his games with Everton. As the spearhead of Everton’s attack for the last three years, everything has gone through him, whether it’s a cynical punt upfield or a cross from the wings. When the rest of the team are having an off day, so does Lukaku – he doesn’t offer much without support. It says a lot about the young Belgian that he was only able to provide this season when he had Arouna Kone, an aging Ivorian with half the talent, Ross Barkley, who has had a mixed season, and Gerard Deulofeu, a Spanish wizard with the fitness levels of Gandalf, to support him. Take all of those players out of the equation and you have an aimless young man out of his depth.

However, the biggest weakness of Lukaku, which was probably evidenced by his recent outbursts, is that he has a woeful attitude. When the best strikers aren’t seeing the rub of the green in terms of service and luck, they never stop trying. If Lukaku doesn’t fancy it, which is often, he doesn’t bother. There’s no fight in him; for all of Diego Costa’s faults (of which there are countless), he forces his way into games when it’s going against him. For someone possessing such strength and pace, Lukaku can often look like an underfed teenager moping around a field for ninety minutes.

Lukaku will almost certainly move on this summer, but a word of warning to any club that wants to stump up his exorbitant transfer fee: look a little deeper than just the numbers.