Chelsea must focus their attention on re-signing Romelu Lukaku

It’s pretty clear that every team on the entire planet wants to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland. The 20-year-old is already one of the world’s best strikers and looks set to dominate the game for the next decade.

Chelsea are well in the mix for Haaland, but with so many other big boys sticking their noses into a deal which could well be worth in excess of £150m, sometimes you’ve just got to take a step back and think about things.

Sure, Chelsea need a new cut-throat striker. Haaland would obviously fit the bill, but one man who’s right up there too is a certain Belgian who was seen as the answer to the Blues’ prayers in both 2011 and 2017, Romelu Lukaku.

Oriol Romeu, Romelu Lukaku:Andre Villas BoasOriol Romeu, Romelu Lukaku:Andre Villas Boas
A young Lukaku signs for Chelsea | Christopher Lee/Getty Images

First time around, Lukaku was the world’s hottest prospect coming out of Anderlecht and was seen as the heir to Didier Drogba’s throne. Chelsea snapped him up, but for whatever reason, things didn’t work out and he was offloaded permanently in 2014.

Three years later, after Antonio Conte’s genius text to Diego Costa telling the only reliable striker Chelsea had had since Drogba’s departure in 2012 to politely do one, it was Lukaku who was again seen as the answer to Chelsea’s problems, but Manchester United swooped in with a better offer and forced Chelsea to bring in *shudder* Alvaro Morata.

Both times, Chelsea failed Lukaku. They didn’t offer him the kind of home he needed. It’s time to make that right in 2021.

While we all would like Haaland, Chelsea are sensibly looking at alternatives, and The Telegraph note that Lukaku is one of those on the shortlist. Once again, Blues scouts have thrown up the bat signal, and it’s Lukaku who has answered their prayers.

Erling HaalandErling Haaland
Chelsea are high on Haaland | Lars Baron/Getty Images

There’s a reason Chelsea keep coming back to Lukaku. He’s an elite-level striker who is in the best form of his life right now, but even though his goals have been coming in Serie A recently, there’s no doubting his pedigree in the Premier League.

This is a man who bagged 113 goals in 252 appearances in England. He’s the fifth-youngest player to ever hit a century and the youngest overseas talent to ever do it. That’s an unreal CV, and it’s something which should have Chelsea drooling.

If there’s one thing that puts Lukaku above Haaland from Chelsea’s perspective, it’s his track record in England. If he came back to the Premier League today, he might need a few weeks to work out his surroundings, but he’d be back at it almost immediately. He knows what’s going on and how defenders play, and most importantly, he knows how to beat them.

With Haaland, his ability to take to life in the Premier League is unknown, and while you might think it’s a near certainty that he would settle in immediately, most would have said the thing about Timo Werner and Kai Havertz.

The two Germans set the Bundesliga alight for a good few years, but they’re struggled to match those levels in England, and their form is a large part of the reason why Chelsea need this new elite number nine.

Sure, Haaland would be great, but if Chelsea spend £150m on another player from Germany who doesn’t settle immediately, there’ll be hell on Earth. The risk is there, and at that kind of money, it might be too big for a team like Chelsea.

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Lukaku is the safer bet | Soccrates Images/Getty Images

Lukaku would be cheaper and is a guaranteed source of goals in England. Guaranteed.

It’s that confidence which will convince Chelsea scouts to keep watching Lukaku, and in a world in which everyone is focused on signing the next big thing, maybe Chelsea should think outside the box and go for the current one.

For more from ?Tom Gott, follow him on ?Twitter!

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Gareth Southgate’s best moments as England manager

Gareth Southgate may be the most popular custodian of the population of England’s hopes and dreams manager since Sir Bobby Robson.

The former Aston Villa and Middlesbrough defender became the first man ever to reach 50 caps as a player and a manager for England when they beat San Marino 5-0 in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers – a milestone so significant that it warrants a look back at his greatest moments as a manager.

What are Southgate’s highlights as England boss then? Lets take a deep dive into his so far six-year reign as gaffer…

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The standout moment from Southgate’s playing career for the Three Lions was, regrettably, his miss in the Euro 96 penalty shootout defeat to Germany that saw England crash out in the semi-finals. Well, that and the subsequent Pizza Hut advert.

However, Southgate’s redemption arc was completed at the World Cup in 2018 when England met Colombia in the last 16.

Despite Jordan Henderson’s miss, England beat Colombia 4-3 to progress to the quarters in Russia, and break a decades-long curse from 12 yards.

No-one will have been more relieved than the man on the touchline.

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Speaking of Russia, the biggest moment of Southgate managerial career so far was undoubtedly the FIFA World Cup run in 2018.

England went into the tournament with little to no expectations, but they managed to progress through the groups after winning two of their three games.

They then beat Colombia and Sweden in the knockout rounds to set up a semi-final with Croatia.

While they were beaten in extra-time, it was a run that seemed to unite the entire country in times of severe division, while a feel-good factor was restored to the England camp.

Looking back on when we first met,
I cannot escape and I cannot forget,
Southgate you’re the one,
You still turn me on,
Football’s coming home again!

It’s rare that an England manager gets his own chant, but Southgate earned his song thanks to the 2018 World Cup run and its effect on the English public.

Belting out rehashed Atomic Kitten lyrics is probably not how many envisioned their summer in 2018 going, but Southgate had the entire country believing.

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It took a while, but England finally beat one of the top teams in the world when they toppled the mighty Spain.

It was a “Monday masterclass” in Martin Tyler’s words, as Raheem Sterling scored two and Marcus Rashford slotted home for a 3-0 lead in the first half of a terrific performance back in Seville in October 2018.

Paco Alcacer and Sergio Ramos scored headers in the second half to narrow the lead, but England held on for a memorable victory.

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After the disappointment of crashing out of the World Cup in the semi-finals, England sought revenge against Croatia when they met in the UEFA Nations League later that year.

Southgate’s team fell behind, but fought back thanks to goals from Jesse Lingard and Harry Kane to progress into the semi-finals of the inaugural tournament to cap off an impressive year.

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One of the hardest moments of Southgate’s managerial tenure undoubtedly came on a trip to Bulgaria back in 2019, when the crowd were heard racially abusing players.

England players Tyrone Mings and Raheem Sterling in particular were subjected to abuse during the 6-0 win, with the game paused on multiple occasions.

After the match, Southgate condemned the actions of the crowd and stood by his players while speaking publicly about how the situation had to change.

He was praised for the way he handled the situation and it became an example of how Southgate has leaned into the role of statesman and leader, as well as coach.

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England’s record against Belgium in recent times is rubbish, to put it simply.

They even lost twice to the Red Devils at the 2018 World Cup.

The sides faced off once more in the UEFA Nations League in 2020, where Southgate’s side turned in a stellar performance to finally pick up a win over their new foes.

Mason Mount scored the winner after Romelu Lukaku and Rashford had netted a penalty each in a game that saw the Chelsea man announce himself on the international stage.

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Gareth Southgate aka ‘waistcoat’ | Clive Rose/Getty Images

During the summer of 2018, Marks & Spencer reported a 35% increase in the sale of waistcoats – a sales increase essentially all down to one man.

Southgate made it cool to wear a three-piece suit again and was setting the fashion agenda for English men… which is not something you could ever imagine Hodgson, Allardyce or even Sven doing.

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Memorable Lionel Messi clips headline new Gatorade video

You know we love Lionel Messi content here. He’s probably the best player to ever lace up a pair of boots, he’s still playing, and he’s got some bang average tattoos, just so it’s possible to feel superior to him. That’s just how generous he is.

Well, the world’s greatest footballer is back with a cheeky little spot for Gatorade, plugging in highlight clips of some of his best long-range goals with some footage of him training, fuelled by the lightning bolt-branded energy drink.

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He’s also got a little ice box with some Gatorade bottles in, which. It’s a vibe, isn’t it? Couple of ice lollies in the bottom and straight to the beach after, if he’s got anything about him.

The video has been released as part of Gatorade’s ‘The Greatest Never Settle’ campaign, also featuring the likes of Serena Willians and Gabriel Jesus.

Messi said: “This Gatorade campaign demonstrates the importance of pushing yourself to be better and believing you can go further, even when you have been successful. It takes hard work, on and off the pitch, to try and get to a place where you can perform on the world’s biggest stages, and I hope this campaign inspires both fans and young athletes to never settle as they journey on their own paths to greatness.”

The Argentine gets a rare break from action this weekend, with Argentina’s planned internationals postponed, leaving him a full 15 days between last Sunday’s 6-1 win over Real Sociedad and a home game against relegation-threatened Real Valladolid on Easter Monday.

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Messi was on top form against La Real | Soccrates Images/Getty Images

The win over La Real kept Barcelona within four points of La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid, with historic rivals Real Madrid a further two points back as the Spanish league title race comes down to its last ten games – with Barça also playing out the Copa del Rey final next month.

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Brandon Williams fined for failing to provide information to police over speeding offence

Manchester United left-back Brandon Williams has been ordered to pay a fine after failing to provide the police with information of a speeding offence.

Williams was contacted by police after a Mercedes registered to him was caught driving 85mph in a 70mph zone in north Wales, with investigators requesting information on who was driving the car at the time of the incident.

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Williams’ car was involved in a speeding offence | Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images

The 20-year-old did not respond to letters and was recently taken to court over his failure to prove information, and although Williams pleaded not guilty to the charges, Sky Sports News note he was still handed a £1,000 fine for withholding information.

Williams’ lawyer, Nick Freeman, argued that Williams was unaware of the letter as his post was being dealt with by his father, who intercepted the first form and admitted to being the driver in his response to the police.

Given Williams was the registered keeper of the vehicle, which had been gifted to his father, police required a response from him and sent out a follow-up letter, which the United youngster argued that he did not receive because his father had taken over that side of things to allow him to focus on his football.

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Williams claimed to be unaware of the whole thing | Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

He also insisted that he was not at his address at the time the letter was delivered as he was staying at the famous Lowry Hotel in Manchester ahead of a Premier League meeting with Bournemouth.

“The defendant is the innocent victim here. He’s nothing to gain,” Mr Freeman insisted.

Despite Williams’ defence, he was still found guilty by a court who felt there were ‘flaws’ in his system and accused the left-back of being naive.

As punishment, Williams was handed the maximum fine of £1,000 and also ordered to pay an extra £720 in costs.

For more from ?Tom Gott, follow him on ?Twitter!

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Anatomy of a goal: Paolo Di Canio’s crazy scissor kick

Paolo Di Canio’s love of kicking things became abundantly clear on September 26, 1998, when a swift flick out at Martin Keown and a subsequent push of a referee earned the then Sheffield Wednesday man an 11-game ban.

It was an incident that saw the Italian branded a psychopath, a loose cannon, a man who could not be trusted whatsoever. Most people agreed with that, but not Harry Redknapp.

Redknapp took a chance on this rogue outsider the following, dropping a cool £1.5m to bring Di Canio to West Ham United and justifying the risk by saying: “He can do things with the ball that people can only dream of.”

West Ham v Man UtdWest Ham v Man Utd
Redknapp made it clear Di Canio would have a fresh start | Ben Radford/Getty Images

On March 26, 2000, we saw exactly what Redknapp was talking about.

West Ham’s meeting with Wimbledon arrived with a fair bit of hype, largely because it was the debut of striker Freddie Kanoute, who had joined the Hammers on loan from Lyon. Fans were keen to see him do something special and mark his debut with a wonder strike.

Kanoute did find the back of the net, and it actually proved to be the winning goal for West Ham, but his effort has been drowned out over time y one of the most outstanding strikes the English game has ever seen.

Just nine minutes into the game, a deep cross from Trevor Sinclair arrowed its way towards Di Canio on the corner of the Wimbledon box, but for some reason, the Italian seemed to take a few steps away from the ball. He didn’t look like a man who wanted to control the ball.

Well, that’s because he wasn’t.

Instead of trying to trap the ball, Di Canio chose to unleash a picture-perfect scissor kick – the kind you usually don’t have enough fingers for to pull off in a video game – and arrowed the ball across the goal and into the corner of the net with terrifying precision.

The technique on show was superb, but half the fun was Di Canio’s arrogance. To have the audacity to even attempt that kind of thing in a country in which 90% of fans see you as the pantomime villain and hate your guts is what made this goal so special, and it single-handedly reversed the way people saw him.

But who does Di Canio have to thank for his resurgence? Redknapp’s faith? Sinclair’s cross? His own genius?

Nope. Everton winger Danny Cadamarteri.

Cadamarteri’s trickery had left Wimbledon left-back Alan Kimble completely dumfounded just a few weeks earlier, and it kick-started a vicious downturn in form which left the defender desperate to make things right against West Ham.

Within minutes, Kimble had scythed down Sinclair, earning himself a warning from the official. On a tightrope already, Kimble was paralysed when Sinclair came running at him again a few minutes later, so he sat back. Just far enough to gift the West Ham man enough space to pull out a corker of a cross.

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Di Canio watches his strike fly into the net | Stu Forster/Getty Images

Kimble’s loss was Di Canio’s gain. The Italian needed just a matter of seconds to flip the entire narrative and establish himself as a hero, not a villain.

As we all know, there isn’t much in football that a worldie can’t solve.

For more from ?Tom Gott, follow him on ?Twitter!

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