Current Tottenham Hotspur coach Antonio Conte feels that striker Romelu Lukaku made the switch back to Inter after one season at Chelsea because it’s where he feels the love of the fans.
Speaking to UK news outlet the Evening Standard, the coach gave his thoughts on Lukaku’s reasons for wanting to play for the Nerazzurri again rather than stay at Chelsea.
Lukaku never made any secret of his desire to return to Inter where he had spent two successful seasons after it started to appear that he was not able to replicate his form at Chelsea after a big money move last summer.
The 29-year-old made the switch this summer on a paid loan deal, and now he will try to once again prove himself in Serie A in front of the Nerazzurri fans.
For his part, Lukaku’s former coach Conte understands why the Belgian wanted to make the return.
“I know for sure he is a bit disappointed with his impact, because he wanted to have another impact in England,” he said. “But he has time.”
“Now it’s right for him to play for an important club in Italy to try to get again confidence in himself,” he continued. “But we are talking about a really important, a really good striker.”
Conte noted that ““We are talking about a big amount of money [that Chelsea paid] for a player and I think we are talking about a really important striker in the world.”
“But sometimes it happens a situation outside of football and I think Romelu lived two years in Milan and he was the king,” he continued.
The coach explained that “The fans showed him a lot of passion and I think he’s a guy who needs this. And for this reason, I think he wanted to come back in Milan, but for sure, the signing was a good signing for Chelsea.”
“Then, you know very well there are players that needed more time to make an impact, and maybe…” Conte went on, “but for sure he was a good signing for Chelsea.”
