Thomas Tuchel joked that new signing Romelu Lukaku will score 50 or 60 times before the end of the year, but the Chelsea manager expects an impact beyond his goals.
Lukaku could make his second Blues debut against Arsenal on Sunday, after returning to Stamford Bridge with a £ 97.5million transfer from Inter.
Tuchel was asked on Friday if Lukaku could be “the missing piece” for his side Chelsea, who won the Champions League last season but were guilty of debauchery in front of goal.
While Lukaku has scored 24 times for Inter in Serie A, converting 25% of his shots, Timo Werner wasted his first Premier League season.
Out of odds worth 11.5 expected goals, Werner has only scored six times for an extremely disappointing 7.6% conversion rate.
Werner was however still heavily involved in Chelsea’s play, contributing eight assists while carrying the ball 130.6 yards and being involved in 4.9 streaks of open play ending the shot every 90 minutes.
And Tuchel believes Werner is one of the players who can benefit from the arrival of Lukaku, who had a similar influence at Inter with 11 assists as well as 5.2 appearances in a late-season open play streak. shot for 90.
Asked how many goals Lukaku could score this season, Tuchel said at a press conference: “50, 60, honestly, until winter. No, we expect an impact. impact.
“Of course we expected goals – we shouldn’t be talking about it – and he himself expects goals. Why? Because he’s delivered everywhere he’s played. That’s why he’s here.
“Then we’ll see how far the impact goes. He’s a great personality in the dressing room.
“I have absolutely no doubts that he will have a very positive impact on Timo Werner, on Kai Havertz, on Christian Pulisic, the guys who play with him, around him. He will open up spaces and attract the attention of defenders.
“Let’s see how we’re going to measure him in the end, but what we demand and what he demands goals from him is obvious.”
When asked to compare Lukaku to another striker, Tuchel replied, “I think he’s pretty unique.
“He’s got a physique and an ability to play with his back to goal, but for me he’s the strongest when he’s in a half-open position, even open, in transition, to use his immense speed.
“I think that with that kind of physical power and at the same time so fast and so hungry and like a true goalscorer in his characteristic, it is for me a new and unique experience.”
These are attributes Arsenal are likely to face on Sunday, with Tuchel saying: “We hope he is on the pitch on Sunday and things are like that.”
N’Golo Kante and Hakim Ziyech are also back in training.
