Oriol Romeu and Romelu Lukaku were introduced to the British media this afternoon at Cobham as they were officially unveiled as Chelsea players. Romeu, 19, has just returned from the U20 World Cup with his national side Spain (they exited at the last-eight stage), and signs from European champions Barcelona for ?5M. Lukaku completed his transfer from Anderlecht last week for a fee reported to be in the region of £20M.
The Belgian was first up to respond to the questions of the assembled hacks and spoke impressive English as he reiterated how much of a dream it was to sign for his boyhood club.
‘I always said to my friends I would play for Chelsea one day so to be here is something amazing,’ he said.
‘I realised my dream but now I have to focus on training every day and hopefully get some minutes because you have world-class strikers around. It’s a dream come true and I hope Chelsea will have a lot of success in the future.’
Comparisons have been drawn throughout the 18-year-old’s brief career with Didier Drogba, a man and a player whom Lukaku clearly has a lot of admiration for. However, the Belgian was quick to shoot down suggestions that he’s been brought in to Stamford Bridge to replace the 33-year-old Ivorian.
‘To be compared with Didier is a very big honour to me,’ he went on. ‘Every time I spend time with him we talk and I sit next to him in the dressing room. I listen all the time because he gives advice and, also with Nico and Fernando it is the same, so I am very happy to have world-class strikers around me.’
‘I am not here to replace him, just to play for Chelsea and I hope he will stay as long as possible so I can play with him and continue learning from him. He is a world-class striker.’
‘When we do some finishing exercises after training he said to focus as long as possible when you hit the ball, until the last minute. These are very small things but very efficient.’
Despite completing his signing in time to be involved against West Brom on Saturday, Lukaku found himself watching from the stands rather than being involved. However, he rubbished suggestions he would be sent out on loan this season, insisting he was only concerned with playing for Chelsea.
‘The English Premier League is the biggest competition in the world so it will not be as easy as Belgium,’ he admitted, ‘but first of all I want to learn from the players that are here and after that I want to show to the coach that whenever he needs me I am ready. First of all I want to train and be as fit as possible.’
It is a customary tradition in the Blues dressing room, dating back to the days when Dennis Wise was club captain, that new arrivals must stand up and sing a song on their first away trip. Pressed on his plans for this initiation, Lukaku hinted he’d opt for something representative of his homeland and, despite admitting to knowing all the words to club anthem ‘Blue is the Colour’, politely declined to give his vocal chords a workout for the eager hacks.
However, he did reveal how he’s been slightly starstruck sitting in the dressing room alongside players he’s idolised for many years:
‘I was quiet and didn’t say anything, I just looked around. You don’t know what to say, like when the captain John Terry tells me ‘Whenever you need me you can call me’, and Didier says, ‘Well done Romelu’. It’s like ‘Did he just say that to me?”
‘It gives you a boost to do more, and sometimes also when you do something wrong they also scream at you. It’s not play time now, that’s over and we have to work hard to get success.’
Attention then switched from Lukaku to Romeu, whose grip of the English language was less comprehensive as he spoke through an interpreter. Responding to queries about his fitness after a summer without a break from football, he insisted he was feeling ‘muy bien’ and raring to get involved with his new team mates.
‘I played in a couple of really tough games during the World Cup against Korea and Brazil, they went into extra-time and this helped me to improve how I am physically and my condition,’ he explained.
‘I’m in great physical shape right now and happy with the way things are. I am concentrating on this season, I want to do my best and make the most of the opportunity I’ve been given. Chelsea has given me this great opportunity and I want to play as many games as possible.’
‘This is one of the best clubs in the world,’ he went on, ‘the coach expressed an interest in me and I thought it would be a wise choice to take advantage of being part of such a huge club.’
One matter that was inevitably raised was the issue of the buy-back clause inserted into the young Spaniard’s contract, meaning that Barcá can re-sign the midfielder next summer for ?10M, or in the summer of 2013 for ?15M. It is an issue that initially raised eyebrows and has given Blues fans a few concerns, however Romeu insisted he wasn’t pining for Barcelona and wasn’t going to ‘do a Fabregas’.
‘I think the case with Fabregas is different,’ he said. ‘We left under different circumstances. My intention is not to think about the future, I’m concentrating on this season.’
‘I’m not worried about that [the buy-back clause]. It’s not my intention to move. Chelsea have given me this great opportunity and I want to play as many games as possible. I could have stayed at Barca but I want to take advantage of this chance.’
‘I have been interested in this club for a while now. I understand there are a lot of high-level footballers here but my aim is to keep improving and learn from the other footballers around me and work hard as part of this team. I am just going to make the most of the experience and take advantage of all the opportunities that arrive.’
Both players put in impressive displays in front of the cameras, with Lukaku particularly showing how delighted and honoured he is to be at a club he has supported with a passion since childhood. It’s certainly evident that we’ve snapped up not just a very promising striker but a well-rounded young man there as well.
It was also confirmed today that Lukaku will inherit the #18 jersey from the recently departed Yury Zhirkov while, after a bit of confusion, Oriol will wear the name ‘Romeu’ on the back of the #6 shirt that has been vacated since the departure of Ricardo Carvalho to Real Madrid last summer.
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