West Brom's Lukaku Set to Star with Chelsea

Romelu Lukaku just couldn’t buy a goal against Manchester City on Tuesday.

Despite 44 touches—many of them bookending West Bromwich Albion’s 1-0 defeat at Eastlands—and four shots at goal, the Baggies forward just couldn’t put the ball past City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

In that, it was the rarest of nights for the Belgian.

Just 19 years of age, Lukaku has been among the most lethal attackers in the Premier League this season—his combination of pace, power and pure exuberance resulting in 14 goals for West Brom, four of which have been game-winners.

Four times he has been named Man of the Match, and he is among the biggest reasons why the West Midlands side are only two matches away from finishing the season in the top half of the table.

Those matches will also represent Lukaku’s final pair of appearances in the blue-and-white-striped kit.

On loan at The Hawthornes after making just 12 appearances for Chelsea last season, Lukaku will head back to his parent club ahead of pre-season training, where he’ll compete with Demba Ba and Fernando Torres for first-team minutes at Stamford Bridge.

And while he is by far the most inexperienced of the three strikers, based on this seasons performance, he is also far and away the best.

With every goal, every spectacular play in the buildup, it becomes plainer to see why Chelsea doled out £17 million for him shortly after his 18th birthday.

At the time, he was already one of the most impressive forwards in Belgium.

As a 16-year-old he had managed 19 goals in all competitions for title-winning Anderlecht, and a year later, he played 50 matches and bagged 20 goals.

His celebrations were almost as famous as his tallies, and scouts from across Europe made regular visits to Constant Vanden Stock to see the prodigy in action.

Chelsea won the bidding war for his signature, and while nearly two years have passed since the transaction, he is poised to star at the club that staked so much of their future on him back in 2011.

When he arrives at Stamford Bridge, Lukaku will join a young, energetic group of players that already includes David Luiz, Ramires, Victor Moses, Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard. And if the manager who replaces Rafael Benitez recognizes just how special this group could be, he’ll have Lukaku leading the line.

His season at West Bromwich Albion was vital to his development, but it’s time for Lukaku to move on.

And that’s a prospect Chelsea fans can look forward to with excitement during the summer months.