What does Romelu Lukaku’s £98m arrival mean for Chelsea’s other forward options next season?

Romelu Lukaku is on his way back to Chelsea as one of the high-profile transfers of the summer as the Blues undergo more overhaul in their forward areas. 

The west Londoners shelled out nearly £150million on Timo Werner and Kai Havertz just 12 months ago but Thomas Tuchel‘s striker options are about to get even stronger – but could it be just too strong?

Lukaku – set to arrive at Chelsea for £98million – will make him by far the most expensive centre-forward of the summer window so far, and will give Tuchel seven options for his three most advanced roles in his 3-4-2-1 formation.

Chelsea are set to seal a £98million return for former striker Romelu Lukaku this summer

Sportsmail looks at how Lukaku’s arrival at Chelsea will impact their other striker options

Current whispers suggest Havertz and Werner will stay and fight for their places, as will Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic. England internationals Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi can play in other areas but tend to take up those attacking roles as well. 

Tammy Abraham and Michy Batshuayi are set to be moved on from west London this summer, but there is still heavy competition at the top end of Chelsea’s pitch. So how does Tuchel keep all seven happy?

Seven cannot go into three, so with Lukaku now preparing for the Premier League season with Chelsea, how does the former Inter Milan striker’s arrival impact the forward options at Stamford Bridge? 

PRESSURE OFF WERNER

Last season, German international Werner struggled with the pressure of being Chelsea’s main man up front following his £53m move from RB Leipzig. 

The 25-year-old found the net just six times in the Premier League last term – and just once in the final 14 matches of the season – with the majority those final games seeing the German adopt the central striker role that Lukaku is now taking over. 

Timo Werner struggled for Chelsea last season as their £53m main centre-forward up front

Chelsea’s new striker will not struggle will the pressures of being the Blues’ all-time record signing, nor the main source of goals over the course of a Premier League season.

His Stamford Bridge transfer makes him the most expensive player in football history in terms of total transfer fees accumulated, meaning he is used to the big fee attached to his name. 

The Belgian is likely to push Werner out wide to the left-hand side, which was arguably his best position for the Blues last season. Werner’s blistering pace is a useful asset in Chelsea’s counter-attacking game, while his off-the-ball running can drag defenders away from other dangerous players, such as Lukaku.

Chelsea’s Champions League final-winning goal last season showed exactly why Werner is useful in a wide role. 

Werner’s best moments when he was creating space for others, such as Kai Havertz

The German international caused a giant hole in the Manchester City defence between John Stones and Oleksandr Zinchenko by running away from goal, which allowed Mason Mount to play Havertz in for a one-on-one. The rest was history.

And while all the attention will surround Lukaku, his price tag and his quest to rule the line under his previous spells in England, Werner can quietly go about his business and look to build on his six goals and 12 Premier League assists from last year.

NEW ROLE FOR HAVERTZ

Havertz, meanwhile, should be more worried about Lukaku’s return to west London.

The 22-year-old German set himself up nicely for next season by netting the Champions League final winner in Porto and was hoping to put a season where he struggled with a new country, coronavirus and a £89m transfer fee behind him.

Havertz will hope to remind head coach Thomas Tuchel that he is still a viable No 9 option

Now he is likely to become Chelsea’s second-choice centre-forward option for the coming season, a position where he has grown in confidence over the years. 

At Bayer Leverkusen, his form as the main man up front was phenomenal, particularly after the coronavirus hiatus that temporarily stopped the 2019-20 season.

Havertz scored five goals in his first four games back for Leverkusen after the period of rest and that sort of form justified his move to Chelsea in the summer of 2020. Yet at Chelsea last season, his best performances came through the middle, rather than from the right-hand side in Tuchel’s famed 3-4-2-1 formation.  

With Lukaku now in the squad, Havertz is likely to be utilised from that wide role inbetween the Belgian forward up front and Chelsea’s right wing-back. 

The German international’s best moments last season came when used through the middle

German Havertz (middle) showed he can play a deeper and wider role by scoring at Euro 2020

It may not be his strongest position, but it is a role where the German has been growing in confidence recently.

He played that exact role during Germany’s Euro 2020 campaign, with Joachim Low almost copying Tuchel’s system at Chelsea. Havertz ended the tournament with goals against Portugal and Hungary in the group stage and was a major threat in the last-16 defeat to England, and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. 

Should be produce those kind of performances, then Lukaku’s arrival may not be terrible competition after all. But as we learned last season, Havertz does rely on confidence for good displays – so must get his chance.  

ZIYECH AND PULISIC ARE BACK-UPS NOW

Havertz and Werner adopting those wider roles for Chelsea alongside Lukaku spells trouble for Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic, who would be cemented as back-up players even more so than they are now.

Christian Pulisic (right) and Hakim Ziyech (far left) could now be serious back-up options

Twelve months ago, the Blues pair were incredibly exciting prospects at Stamford Bridge. Pulisic had just netted in the FA Cup final against Arsenal before being handed Eden Hazard’s old No 10 shirt, while Ziyech was the £38m marquee signing before Werner and Havertz came along. 

But both players have struggled with injuries since then and neither of their Stamford Bridge careers seem to have taken serious flight yet. 

Ziyech is starting to show some pre-season form in west London this season that hints he could be given more than the 23 league appearances he was handed last season. 

Ziyech is showing some signs of good pre-season form in a glint of hope for the Moroccan

Yet Lukaku’s arrival would push him further down the pecking order if Tuchel sticks with the in-form Havertz. 

The Moroccan also has Callum Hudson-Odoi for competition on the right-hand side, while Pulisic could have Mason Mount for company on the left, though the duo are benefited by the Englishmen’s abilities to turn out at right wing-back and central midfield respectively, alongside Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta.

It is not the end at Stamford Bridge for Ziyech and Pulisic, as Tuchel will no doubt tinker with his squad on a weekly basis and game time will come. The same can’t be said for the likes of Tammy Abraham and Michy Batshuayi, who are set to join Olivier Giroud out of the Chelsea exit door. 

But it’s time for the pair to start thinking whether Ziyech and Pulisic have run out of time to become the marquee signings everyone thought they would be. 

Pulisic may be wondering whether he can still justify the £58m fee Chelsea paid for him

CREATIVITY FOR OTHER ATTACKING PLAYERS 

Let’s not forget of course that Lukaku will actually help Chelsea improve as a squad, and thereby increasing the confidence of players like Havertz and Werner, who don’t necessarily have to view him as a striker rival. 

One area where the Belgian will address is their creativity from open play, which was a concern last season. 

Chelsea’s highest league goalscorers from open play were Mason Mount and Timo Werner with five each, while Jorginho ended as their best top-flight goal-getter overall last term by scoring seven penalties. 

Blues boss Tuchel will have been concerned by his side’s creativity from open play last season

Lukaku, meanwhile, found the net 15 times from open play in Serie A last season, with 18 out of his 24 goals in Inter Milan’s Scudetto-winning season came from inside the penalty area. 

Ultimately, the 28-year-old will help to break teams down – with those problems coming to light in Tuchel’s reign with goalless draws against Wolves, Manchester United, Leeds and Brighton, along with a disappointing home defeat to Arsenal. 

Lukaku will also help Chelsea’s creativity by contributing to the fluidity of the front three, or two-and-one in the 3-4-2-1 if you’re being specific. 

Lukaku’s clinical goal record from inside the box will help Chelsea break teams down next term

The Belgian likes to take up wide areas and take on full-backs, particularly on the right-hand side, which could see some useful rotations with Havertz, who we’ve already noted enjoys coming into the middle of the pitch. 

Whether the team gels this easily in the opening weeks of the season is anyone’s guess, but what cannot be understated is Chelsea’s incredible strength in depth up front.