Thomas Tuchel Says Romelu Lukaku Is an Upgrade to Timo Werner Ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League 2021–22 Match Against Arsenal

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel reckons that new signing Romelu Lukaku's incredible goalscoring form would rub off on fellow striker Timo Werner who has had goals hard to come by. Werner was one of Chelsea's marquee signings last season but the German has found it difficult to replicate the form he was known for in the Bundesliga when he played for RB Leipzig. Lukaku, who jas joined the London side for a second spell, enjoyed a prolific time with Inter Milan in Serie A, helping them win the league title last year. Adding that Lukaku is an upgrade on Werner, Tuchel, while addressing the media ahead of his side's match against Arsenal, said, "I truly believe that this can be a big upgrade for [Werner]. Having the attention on Romelu, who likes to be in the centre of the pitch and to fight physically with defenders, can create space for Timo." Romelu Lukaku Reveals Himself To Be Chelsea’s New Number 9, Ready To Face Arsenal on Sunday

"[With] the position, he can play a bit wider than he used to play for us last season. To play around Romelu, who is like the reference as a number nine, he hopefully gives Timo the freedom and the space to play around him and feel that it’s easier to find more dangerous spaces and start scoring again," the German coach added.

Lukaku, Chelsea's new number 9 has been tipped to start for his side in the London derby against Arsenal. It would be very interesting to see how the Belgian striker fares on his return to the Premier League. On the probability of Lukaku starting against Arsenal, Tuchel said, "We are hoping he’s on the pitch for Sunday and things look like that will happen."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 22, 2021 06:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).