Chelsea's £97.5 million ($134.7m) summer signing Romelu Lukaku has said he can already see that his new teammates are “hungry” for more success.
Lukaku has returned to Stamford Bridge after first leaving the London club on a permanent deal to Everton in 2014 and then going on to play for Manchester United and Italian side Inter Milan.
Last season, he helped Inter win their first Serie A title since 2010, finishing second in top-scorers chart behind Cristiano Ronaldo having scored 24 goals for Antonio Conte's side.
Despite Inter's financial problems and Conte's exit, Lukaku initially said he would be staying on at the club but as the summer progressed, it became clear that the reigning European champions were keen on re-signing the Belgian striker.
A club record deal was struck and Lukaku was back. Chelsea have already secured their first trophy of the new campaign when Thomas Tuchel's side defeated Villarreal on penalties in the Uefa Super Cup and the 28-year-old insists he can already tell that the squad has a winning mentality.
“It's a good feeling,” said Lukaku in a press conference on Wednesday. "The guys are hungry, they want to keep winning, I can see from the last couple of training sessions that there is a good intensity.
“The coach is very clear with his ideas, everybody wants to work hard and keep improving. Those things really fit with my ambitions.
“I think the next couple of weeks is important to communicate with the players around me. I don't think I have to adapt too much because with Belgium, we play in a similar system.”
Lukau watched Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 3-0 on the opening weekend of the Premier League season while he quarantined and said he is ready to play in their next match against Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday. “Yeah, I've done a full pre-season,” he said. “For now, I just want to get my teammates better, and then at the end of the day I'm available for the manager if he wants to play me.”
And when he does get back on the pitch for his first Premier League appearance since 2019, fans can expect a new and improved Lukaku on show, wearing the No 9 shirt vacated by Tammy Abraham after he moved to Italian side Roma.
“Maturity, maturity has been important. I think I've learnt much more about myself, setting higher standards,” he said. “As a player, it's about becoming more complete. In Italy, the game is different, there are tighter spaces, it's more technical and tactical, which helped me a lot.
“The English game is different but for me it's not something new. Whatever plan the coach has, I can adapt myself and help the team.”
Chelsea 3 Crystal Palace 0: player ratings
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CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy: 7 - Had little to do as Chelsea dominated possession. Good distribution and comfortable when called upon. -
Trevoh Chalobah: 9 - Chelsea’s surprise Premier League debutant picked up where he left off on Wednesday with another complete performance. Tidy in possession and capped off an excellent afternoon with a fine strike just before the hour. -
Andreas Christensen: 7 - Consistently looking up and playing cross-field passes, which more often than not found their man. Will have tougher tests this season but a nice start from the Danish international. -
Antonio Rudiger: 8 - Defended well and contained Wilfried Zaha, including making a brilliant defensive block as the Ivorian went through on goal. Strong, athletic performance and one that many in West London have become accustomed to. -
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7 - Linked up nicely with Mason Mount to create Chelsea’s second goal and was a threat down Chelsea’s right until his substitution. Had little defending to do but as reliable as ever when called upon. -
Jorginho: 6 - Winner of the European Championship kept things ticking over for Chelsea in midfield, constantly making himself available and moving the ball forward. There will be sterner midfield tests as the season progresses but a confident start for the Italian. -
Mateo Kovacic: 7 - A bright spark in Chelsea’s midfield, constantly winning the ball back and looking forward. His influence waned as the game went on but remained a steady presence. Intelligent passing from a player who has a big season ahead if he is to cement himself in the heart of the side. -
Marcos Alonso: 8 - Scorer of Chelsea’s opening goal and provided a constant threat with his movement and crosses down the left-hand side. Providing manager Thomas Tuchel with a real defensive headache after his performance today and against Villareal. -
Christian Pulisic: 6 - Scored Chelsea’s second and provided a constant threat down the Palace right. Won free-kicks in dangerous positions and now has a real chance to establish himself now provided he stays injury-free. -
Mason Mount: 7 - England’s European Championship finalist started slowly but grew in confidence as the game went on. Much of Chelsea’s positive forward play came through him and his performance again reiterates why this young talent is rated so highly. -
Timo Werner: 6 - Again his movement was exceptional and found dangerous positions in the final third, only for his finishing to let him down. This is an important season for the German forward following the arrival of record signing Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan. -
SUBS: Reece James - 6. Continued to keep the Palace forwards quiet after he replaced the Chelsea captain with a quarter of the game to go. Tried to get forward when possible. -
Emerson: N/A – Came on for the superb Alonso in the dying minutes. -
Kai Havertz: N/A - Replaced goalscorer Christan Pulisic with 10 minutes to go and played a nice pass to set Timo Werner away as Chelsea looked for a fourth. -
CRYSTAL PALACE RATINGS: Vicente Guaita: 5 - Could do little to prevent Alonso’s free kick but should have done better following Mount’s cross for Chelsea’s second and couldn’t get enough on Chalobah’s strike. Made a couple of decent saves in what was a busy afternoon for the Spanish shot-stopper. -
Joel Ward: 5 – The Palace full back – entering his tenth season for the club – struggled to contain Alonso and was often left in 2v1 situations. Had little opportunity to get forward in what was a tough afternoon for the veteran full back. -
Marc Guehi: 6 – Palace’s summer signing from today’s opponents defended admirably enough and tried to step out of the Eagles’ backline and forward possession. A few wayward passes but an exciting prospect as the season progresses. -
Cheikhou Kouyate: 4 – Struggled with the pace of Werner. -
Tyrick Mitchell: 5 – A tough afternoon for the young left back, who struggled to deal with the forward link-up of Mount, Azpilicueta and Werner. Gave away possession too easily. -
Jairo Riedewald: 5 – Overrun in midfield and found it hard to contain the trio of Mount, Kovacic and Jorginho. Tried to break-up play and provide a solid foundation for Palace to build. -
James McArthur: 4 – Often found himself on the periphery and struggled to gain a foothold in the game. Gave away possession on too many occasions as Palace found it difficult to break through Chelsea’s high press. A tough opening day assignment. -
Jeffrey Schlupp: 4 - Wasteful in possession and constantly on the back foot against a fluid Chelsea frontline. Replaced by Tim Anderson just after half-time as Patrick Viera tried to halt the Blues’ dominance. -
Jordan Ayew: 5 – Stationed on the right-hand side of the Palace midfield but did little to assist his full back Joel Ward. Had a header saved late on in one of the few positive Crystal Palace moves. -
Jean-Philippe Mateta: 3 – An isolated figure leading the Palace line and had little service from a deep midfield. Replaced just before the hour after struggling to get any change from Christensen and Rudiger. -
Wilfried Zaha: 6 – Had Palace’s best chance of the game but was denied by a last-ditch block by Antonio Rudiger. A few bright moments in what was otherwise a disappointing opening to the season. -
SUBS: Christian Benteke: 5 – Brought on to keep the ball higher up the pitch for Palace but struggled against Chelsea’s back three. Struggled against Chelsea’s physicality at the back. -
Joachim Anderson: 5 – The summer signing from Lyon was brought on after half-time to provide some stability to the struggling back four. Will be an important player for the Eagles going forward. -
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi: 5 – Came on with 15 minutes to play and could have little influence with the outcome of the game already decided.
