Is Everton's Romelu Lukaku Good Enough for Paris Saint-Germain?

On an individual and collective basis, much about Everton has vastly improved this season. Last season’s horror show—in which for long stretches they hovered not far from the relegation zone, feeling the effects of a UEFA Europa League-clogged calendar—has been firmly placed in the rear-view mirror.

This season has seen a number of positive stories jump to the fore. Possession-based play has recovered; the counter-attack has become a vicious weapon for Roberto Martinez to utilise; Brendan Galloway has slipped seamlessly into Leighton Baines’ position, preventing a crisis; Ross Barkley is showing international-class form; and, perhaps most eye-catchingly, Romelu Lukaku is tearing defences to pieces on a consistent basis.

It’s the latter storyline that has caught the attention of European football’s finest. Lukaku’s renaissance in front of goal has quelled many of his lurking doubters; a return of five goals and two assists from 10 Premier League starts, per WhoScored.com, is a mightily impressive individual stat line.

Everton are reaping the benefits of possessing an in-form, £28 million complete striker leading their line, vying for a starting position at UEFA Euro 2016 with Belgium and in a constant battle with Christian Benteke to hold the title of the Premier League’s top Belgian goalscorer. Success is expected, but Lukaku’s inconsistencies in the past have taught fans not to get too excited about his purple patches.

But now, Paris Saint-Germain are sniffing around, according to the MailOnline. Lukaku’s agent, Mino Raiola, told Radio Monte Carlo that Martinez “would let him leave Everton if a good offer comes in.” For it to be a “good offer,” it’s believed it would need to be in excess of £40 million.

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That’s a lot of dough, and the obvious underlying storyline here is that for PSG to spend so much on a striker, the intention would be to replace a certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The talismanic Swede's contract runs out next summer, and his prospective exit would leave a big hole up top—with or without the presence of €63 million man Edinson Cavani.

So, is Lukaku PSG quality? Bear in mind we are forced to consider “PSG quality” as title-winning, Europe-conquering quality. Laurent Blanc’s men are salivating at the thought of toppling the Real Madrid-Barcelona-Bayern Munich party at the summit of European football, and any big money spent should be done so with the confidence that acquisitions are capable of helping to achieve that goal.

Lukaku boasts the same physical strengths he’s always had, only now his monstrous size and frame looks less out of place—given he’s now 22, not 18 years of age.

Good speed, a love of jockeying defenders on the run and the embracing of the scrappy side of the battle make him a warrior on the pitch, and he’s more powerful than most in both a stationary and mobile state.

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Still very strong in the air, willing to stick his head in and give his team an outlet either off the wing or playing out from the back, his close control has improved to the point where his team-mates can play off him. That said, he’s still got a tinge of “battering-ram striker” about him; he’s far from technically refined, although clearly improving, and he at times uses brute force and straight-line running at the expense of finesse.

The most improved part of his game is his off-the-ball awareness and the timing of his runs. For much of 2014-15, this part of his game was criticised, but it’s possible to place the blame on the Toffees’ heads-down playmakers refusing to release the killer ball on time. Many of the Belgian’s runs either went unnoticed or were called offside because of his provider delaying the pass too long.

Lukaku’s speed and agility, in addition to his aggression, make him a serious threat piercing the channels. He can occupy defenders and create space for others, sure, but he’s at his most dangerous spinning in behind and breaching the channel between centre-back and full-back.

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He learnt to play wide at West Bromwich Albion, often appearing from the right wing and acting as a wide target man for early passes. He’d punish full-backs one-on-one with speed and power, carving out chances for others and netting himself. That season, he scored 17 goals from just 20 league starts and added four assists.

With top-tier service—perhaps from Marco Verratti—he could be deadly. He’s taken that ability to pierce the channel and isolate a defender on the run and moved it inside so it can do more damage more often. The service at Everton is pretty good, but there are times when Kevin Mirallas and Barkley are, quite simply, more interested in dribbling than releasing early.

Gerard Deulofeu’s willingness to cross has reminded us how strong Lukaku can be in the air; even against a West Brom side set out in a Tony Pulis-governed low defensive block featuring three centre-backs, he was able to climb highest and nod home a goal for his side when Everton met the Baggies in September.

The 10 Premier League games Lukaku has started this season have served as a reminder he is a complete striker whose technical and awareness levels are rapidly improving. For the previous two seasons, Benteke looked by far the better-rounded player, but now the competition is too close to call.

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Still, is all that good enough for PSG?

There’d be something of a culture shock for the fans to deal with, as Lukaku’s instinctive use of the ball and 100 mph style equate to the polar opposite of Zlatan, who looks to drop deep, take lots of touches and become an auxiliary playmaker for the runners in behind.

If Lukaku tried to replicate the Swede's style, he’d fall flat on his face. But if allowed to play his own game, more of his runs would be picked out and plenty of success would be found in front of goal.

Lukaku is quickly becoming the player Chelsea thought they had signed in 2011. He’s not the ruthless, elite-level outlet Diego Costa, Robert Lewandowski and Luis Suarez are, but it’s necessary to remember he’s only 22 years of age.

If the trajectory he’s on continues in this steep northward fashion, he may well reach the level many projected for him when he was aged just 17 playing for Anderlecht.

For north of £40 million, Paris Saint-Germain would not be purchasing a ready-made, top-tier replacement capable of filling Zlatan’s shoes—few in world football could—they’d be buying a project that requires a couple more years of work. Lukaku wouldn’t tip the scales in favour of Blanc’s men, and he wouldn’t allow them to immediately gatecrash the party at Europe’s summit.

The question is, how patient would PSG be willing to be?

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