Romelu Lukaku has been given the green light to make his Chelsea debut in their upcoming Premier League showdown with Arsenal, but the issue of his Inter Milan exit is one that weighs heavily on his mind.
The Belgian ace completed a sensational move to Chelsea not too long ago, returning to Stamford Bridge for $135M seven years after leaving the English capital on a permanent deal in search of first-team football. The UEFA Champions League holders were in search of a world-class no.9 to complete their deadly squad and after several failed attempts to land Dortmund's Erling Haaland, the London giants turned their attention towards the Belgian striker and quickly wrapped up this mega-money deal.
However, this move did not go down well with the Nerrazzuri fan base, with some supporters defacing Romelu's mural outside the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in anger. The 28-year-old was a fan favorite, finishing as the club's top scorer last season while guiding them to their first Scudetto since 2010, thus sparking this emotional reaction.
Watching their talisman forward leave in the same summer as Antonio Conte and Achraf Hakimi made things worse, hence the resentment towards his departure. However, in an open letter written to the fans, the Stamford Bridge man asked Inter Milan supporters to understand his decision to join Chelsea, hailing the offer to join Chelsea as a "chance of a lifetime".
"Dear Inter fans, Thank you. Thank you for loving me as one of your own. Thank you for making me and my family feel at home in Milano.
— R.Lukaku Bolingoli9 (@RomeluLukaku9) August 15, 2021
"Thank you for the unconditional support and love on a daily basis. Thank you for motivating me even more after the first season.
"When I came to Inter, I immediately felt that I would do well for this club.
"The love and reception I first received at Malpensa airport was the start of a beautiful story. I made it my mission to never let you down every time I wore the Inter shirt.
"I gave 100% in every training session and every game so that I could make you proud.'
"I hope you guys understand my decision to move on to Chelsea.
"It's a chance of a lifetime for me and I think at this time of my career it is a chance that I always dreamed of."
"One thing is for sure and that is that I will always remain a Interista, because without you I wouldn't be the player or man I am today. Thank you from the bottom of my heart," the Belgian concluded.
Whether this message will calm the angry Inter Milan ultras remains unknown. However, it should be pointed out that the frustration does not lie solely with Lukaku but the owners as well, having let go three important figures in their successful 2020/21 Serie A campaign.
The Belgian forward is currently under quarantine, hence is absence from the Crystal Palace game, but the new signing could be available for Sunday's trip to Arsenal. Timo Werner struggled once again in the 3-0 victory over the Eagles, thus underlining the importance of having a deadly striker for matchday 2 of the Premier League.
