Romelu Lukaku: Chelsea regret signing 'fragile' striker, claims Paolo Di Canio | OneFootball

Paolo Di Canio has slammed Romelu Lukaku after the Chelsea striker admitted he is unhappy with his situation at Stamford Bridge.

Lukaku’s stunning interview with Sky in Italy dominated headlines in the build up to Chelsea’s game against Liverpool in the Premier League.

"Physically I'm doing great. I'm just not very happy with the situation, but that's normal," Lukaku said.

"I think the boss has decided to play a different formation but I have to stick at it and get on with it professionally.”

Lukaku missed Liverpool match

Lukaku also admitted he hopes to return to Inter Milan one day.

Such an open admission was never going to go down well in west London and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel reacted by leaving Lukaku out of the squad to face Liverpool on Sunday.

The Belgian’s interview has left the Blues in an awkward position that they’ll want to resolve as quickly as possible.

Di Canio tears into Lukaku

In the meantime, we’ll continue to hear the opinions of pundits and it’s unlikely that any will be as severe as Di Canio’s.

The former striker labelled Lukaku “arrogant” and “very fragile” on his Sky Premier League show, while insisting that Chelsea play better without him.

“This interview shows the weakness of an athlete who after six months gives up, perhaps because he arrived there with the arrogance of someone who doesn’t realise what his real level is,” the 53-year-old said, per Football Italia.

“He won the Scudetto in Italy as a co-protagonist with his other teammates, but he’s no Lionel Messi. Inter would’ve won even without him, if they had Duvan Zapata or someone like that upfront. He is a functional player who did his duty in that team.

“He then went to the champions of Europe, in the Premier League against sides like Manchester City and Liverpool, where he is just one of many big names. If you arrive at Chelsea and think you’re going to be number one, you are in for a rude awakening!

“Chelsea played much better without Lukaku. He is a fragile player, so he seems to have character, but when he talks like that, the truth is he is very fragile.”

'He's a big soppy cat'

Chelsea paid a club record £97.5 million fee to bring Lukaku back in the summer but he’s battled an ankle sprain and coronavirus this season.

Di Canio now believes that the Blues will be starting to regret the move.

“Lukaku scored an incredible own goal here, it was a disastrous interview that made absolutely everybody unhappy, including himself,” the former West Ham striker added.

“As I always said, he’s a big soppy cat more than a panther, he has never been hungry or determined in the big situations.

“I think Chelsea are tearing their hair out with regret over this transfer, especially as they didn’t even really need this player.”

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When was Romelu Lukaku born?

1990 1994 1991 1993

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