Lukaku's Chelsea woes: Premier League 'too strong, too powerful, too fast' for striker, says Mikel

Jon Obi Mikel has weighed in on Romelu Lukaku's struggles at Chelsea, insisting the Premier League is "too strong" and "too fast" for the striker.

Chelsea spent a club-record £98 million ($120m) to bring Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge from Inter last summer, having seen him fire the Italian giants to Scudetto glory in 2020-21.

Lukaku only managed to hit 15 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions for the Blues last season as he struggled to live up to his price tag, and Mikel has now suggested that his game is better suited to Italian football.

What has Mikel said about Lukaku?

"The league is totally different. The English league is too strong, too powerful, too fast, whereas the Italian league is too slow," the former Chelsea midfielder said on Naija FM.

"The English league has too much quality. The pace of English football is way too much for the Italian league. 

"In the Italian league you can play until you're 40 years old, but in the English league you're putting in way more work."

Will Lukaku leave Chelsea this summer?

Thomas Tuchel hasn't always used Lukaku as a regular starter amid intense competition for places upfront from the likes of Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz.

The Belgian suggested the German's set-up does not play to his strengths in an explosive interview with Italian media in December, during which he also expressed regret over leaving San Siro.

GOAL has reported that Lukaku is now pushing to re-join Inter, but they can only afford a loan deal due to their uncertain financial situation and talks with Chelsea are currently ongoing.

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