Romelu Lukaku: 5 Things to Expect from the Belgian in His First Year at Chelsea

Today Chelsea confirmed that they had agreed to terms with Belgium club Anderlecht for the purchase of their 18-year-old phenom Romely Lukaku. The striker will arrive at the club in the next few days for a medical exam as well as to discuss personal terms.

The news comes on the day of Chelsea's last preseason game, and not a moment too late. With one week remaining until the kickoff of the new season, Lukaku becomes the first impact signing of new manager Andre Villa-Boas' Chelsea tenure.

The team has been linked to him for the past month, and it is easy to see why. In his first full season (2009/10) with Anderlecht at only age 16, he scored 15 goals, helping his side to regain the Belgium crown. Last season he would finish with 16 in 37 league appearances.

He has wavered over possible places for him to land, but no team has seemed to pursue him as intently as Chelsea. Now that he is officially going to be representing the Blue, here are five things we can expect from him in his first season at the Bridge.

A Steep Learning Curve

It seems that every time someone downgrades a league on this site, there is always a fan out there that will stick up for it and say you're wrong. But in this case, I feel it is safe to say the jump from the Belgium league to the English Premier League is a pretty big one.

Lukaku was the fourth top scorer in the league last season with 16 and was an integral part to their team winning the championship. But that kind of success will not translate easily over to the other side of the channel.

If you look at his goals, many of them are him literally overpowering smaller and weaker defenders. He is a massive individual that looks even bigger than Drogba on the field.

However, these smaller defenders are few and far between in the English game. He will have to rely a lot more on his technique to find the net. You can expect AVB and his staff to make sure he develops that further and relies less and less on power.

As he begins to learn the ins and outs, he will begin to use his brawn again in conjunction with his skill and really form himself into the "next Drogba."

Limited Playing Time

One of the few comments Lukaku has made about a possible transfer has been in regards to playing time. He very straight forwardly said he did not want to be loaned out and wants to train with his team the whole season.

If this is what he wants, he probably will begin to see a lot more of the bench. This is by no means and insult or attack on him, but he honestly is not ahead of Drogba, Torres or Anelka as of right now.

With that said he will of course get plenty of minutes in early FA and Carling Cup, as well as Champions League matches. He will probably see some time as a sub against lesser sides in the league.

The African Nation's Cup also takes place this winter. With Drogba gone, he could find some extra time in that window as well.

Even if playing time is minimal, with a manager like AVB, it is as just as important to understand the philosophy as it is to be on the pitch. Him being on the training ground is most important right now.

This should also be a good indicator of his character. He does not have any major disciplinary infractions to his name, but if he is able to sit by and accept a role as a backup, the team will know they are not only getting a good talent, but an intelligent young man.

Perhaps things change throughout the season, injuries occur or players are sold, and Lukaku moves up the pecking order, but as of right now he could find himself fourth center forward at best.

He Will Act Like an 18 Year Old

Let's not forget he is still a teenager who has a lot of growing up to do mentally and emotionally. He will have his moments where he seems upset and may even verbally express it to the press.

This is to be expected of a kid that here in the states would just be beginning to get ready for his freshman year of college, but instead is one of the biggest footballing clubs in the world's signing of the summer.

AVB and his staff will have to take extra care in making sure that he can fit in with the squad as his striking partners will be well his senior. I have little doubt that they won't take this into consideration and you can expect him to remain calm for the most part.

But if he does not show he is 18 off the field, he will for sure show it on the field. One of his greatest attributes is his hunger to score. That desire makes him into one of the most highly rated young strikers in the world but will also make your jaw hit the floor more than a few times next season over some of his decisions.

He will shoot when he should have passed. He will try to power the ball past the goalie when he should have placed it. And he will get frustrated.

This is not a problem by any means. Put it this way, these were all criticisms of Christiano Ronaldo early on in his career at Man U when he was the same age.

He Will Be Huge

Many things will be different from his home in Belgium to the streets of West London. Whether it be the style of play, culture of the country, or even the weather, it will all be things he will have to get use to.

One thing that will not change in the slightest is his immense size.

Standing at 6'3'' and built like a redwood, he looks like he could be more comfortable as a small forward on a top NCAA basketball team. Luckily for Chelsea, he has decided to make football his preferred sport.

Why a player like Neymar or Aguero may look like the better player statistically, a lot of people don't realize the physicality involved in the English game. Yes they tackle hard in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, etc., but none of them play the kind of one on one arm in the back and chest defense that they do in England.

There is constantly a strong center back who is not only following forwards, but harassing them with elbows and using their body weight to lean on them and wear them down.

Lukaku is already built to withstand this and fight through these annoyances. Hell, he looks like he could give Vidic a piggyback ride if he wanted it.

Perhaps this goes without saying, but he also stands to be the perfect man to replace Drogba who has two or three years at best to be one of the world's most feared strikers. EPL teams have waited for years to get rid of the leagues biggest and strongest forward. The wait potentially just got pushed to another 15 seasons.

(Let me edit my third sentence for a moment. His size will change...He will only get bigger!)

Drogba's Mentorship

All of AVB's signings this summer have been teenagers, literally.

It is obvious that he is attempting to build a team for the future. He essentially already has a team for the 2017/18 season and all of them have proved they are ready to play now: McEachran, Sturridge, Kakuta, Lukaku, Courtois, Romeu, Etock, Rjakovic, Van Aanholt and Bertrand.

Not all those names will not see a ton of minutes this season because the players who currently man those positions are much older and better. But what they will do is learn from the veterans and attempt to establish continuity at the club.

The reason why Lukaku is called the "next Drogba'" is obvious on so many levels, but if he really wants to become him, then he will have to come under the Ivorian's wing.

I am sure AVB will attempt to establish a relationship between the two on the training grounds. There is not much AVB or his staff can teach better to Lukaku about playing physical and utilizing his size that Drogba would not be able to do better.

I am not quite sure how Drogba would feel about being a mentor, but it really doesn't matter. Lukaku just being in his presence, watching him in practice and in games up close is enough to begin to get the idea of the subtle movements and positioning that can't be captured on film.

In one way or another, Drogba's legacy will live on at Stamford Bridge well after he moves on, through this kid.

Conclusion

Didier Drogba has been my favorite player for Chelsea since he arrived at the club back in '04. I must admit it makes me a little sad to know that he won't be there much longer. So when I heard the news that Lukaku was signed, I was as happy as I was that fateful day back in July 2004.

What else do you expect Lukaku to do in his first season at Stamford Bridge?