Romelu Lukaku 'Top Club' Comment Proves Chelsea Right to Sell Striker to Everton

There are some footballers who are best avoided, regardless of their talent.

They come with elevated opinions of themselves, bloated egos that can cause disruption and damage the harmony of a dressing room.

Judging by his comments this week, Romelu Lukaku sits comfortably in that bracket.

Indeed, Jose Mourinho must be thankful that he was able to sell him when did and for the money he did.

Lukaku joined Everton from Chelsea last summer for £28 million, smashing the club's transfer record in the process.

He had enjoyed a successful season on loan at Goodison Park, and Toffees boss Roberto Martinez repaid him by giving Lukaku the opportunity to establish himself in the Premier League.

Until then, Lukaku had been on the periphery at Chelsea, with loan football his best option for game time. With Diego Costa arriving, his opportunities would have been limited at Stamford Bridge.

In short, he didn't have the talent to make it in west London, so moving to Everton was the ideal opportunity for Lukaku.

It was always going to cost the Toffees big to get their man, yet Martinez showed his faith in the striker by putting his money where his mouth is.

That wasn't good enough for the Belgian striker, it seems.

"It was brilliant to play at Chelsea and I had a good reception," Lukaku has since told The Sun (per Sky Sports) after Everton's narrow 1-0 defeat.

"They know I’m a good player, but that I want to develop so I can eventually get back to playing for a club like Chelsea.

"I don’t have a secret ambition to rejoin—there are other clubs in the world. I just want to grow as a player and eventually arrive at a top club again."

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Ambition is one thing, but a blatant disregard for the people who have invested so heavily in Lukaku is unforgivable.

Talk about a kick in the teeth for Lukaku's team-mates, his manager and the Everton fans.

It's inexcusable behaviour, especially when it's coming from a player who has failed to deliver this season.

Lukaku could do no wrong last term, it seemed, scoring 15 Premier League goals for the Toffees. He looked a bright young thing, a player worth that significant investment.

With just seven goals in the league this term, Lukaku has far from lived up to his billing, though.

Everton have struggled and so, too, has he.

Were it any different and Lukaku was trailblazing his way through games, his desire to play elsewhere could be understood.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Yet he isn't; he's failing, but all the while he feels justified to maintain the belief bigger and better things lie ahead for him.

A club the size of Everton can ill afford to be paying large fees for players, as that money could be best used elsewhere to give the squad more strength in depth.

Martinez could have signed two strikers for the money he paid Chelsea for Lukaku, and given his poor return, it's not beyond the realms of possibility to suggest they would have outscored the Belgian this season.

Right now, Lukaku looks nothing like a £28-million player. A player demanding a fee of that magnitude is supposed to carry his team at times; he's supposed to inspire them to victories, deliver them points.

He isn't.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Thus far, Lukaku has directly won Everton just four points all season, scoring the first goal in a 1-1 draw with Hull City before finding the back of the net in a 1-0 away win with Crystal Palace.

Big game player, set for a bigger and better club? Not quite.

Perhaps it's Everton who should be re-evaluating whether or not Lukaku is good enough for them.

All the while, Mourinho is sat in his office at Cobham grinning to himself. Chelsea made a £10 million profit on Lukaku, and that money went some of the way to financing Costa's signing.

Rather than dealing with the petulance of youth, Lukaku is somebody else's problem now. And an expensive one at that.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes