Romelu Lukaku was the biggest talking point ahead of Chelsea vs Liverpool on Sunday.The Blues' record signing has become engulfed in controversy on the back of a stunning interview with Sky in Italy where he admitted that he was unhappy with his situation at Stamford Bridge.That, combined with openly declaring that he wants to return to Inter Milan one day has sparked a whirlwind of drama around the 28-year-old before the Blues' return to Premier League action.
Lukaku's controversial interview
According to The Sun, Lukaku said: “I think everything that happened last summer was not supposed to happen like this... how I left Inter, the way I left the club, how I communicated with Inter fans - this bothers me because it was not the right time.
“Now it's the right time to share my feelings. I have always said that I have Inter in my heart: I know I will return to Inter, I really hope so.
“I am in love with Italy, this is the right moment to talk and let people know what really happened. I really hope from bottom of my heart to return to Inter not at the end of my career, but when I'm still at top level to win more together.
“I want apologize to the Inter fan, the timing of my words was wrong: what you did for me will remain forever.”
Lukaku dropped from Chelsea squad
All in all, the interview has led to a remarkable situation where Thomas Tuchel has publicly criticised the comments and gone so far as to exclude Lukaku from the first-team squad to face Liverpool.
So, it was only natural that Lukaku's predicament was the biggest talking point when Sky Sports previewed the game with Jamie Carragher, Graeme Souness and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
And while you might have expected that Hasselbaink would offer the least explosive reaction to the matter, the ex-Chelsea number nine spoke most passionately of all with a no-nonsense reply.
Hasselbaink reacts to Lukaku drama
In fact, Hasselbaink's comments have really resonated with a lot of Chelsea fans as their former hero quipped that Lukaku should have accepted a wage cut if he wanted to stay at Inter so badly.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg with the Dutchman also remarking: "It's four matches, to spit your dummy out after four matches and you want to go away and back to Inter."
While Hasselbaink clearly has a degree of understanding for Lukaku's situation, you can tell that he really means it when he brands the interview as 'disrespectful', so check out the analysis below:
Fair play, Jimmy, fair play. You can't fault the no-nonsense approach.
Many Chelsea fans are in agreement
And although Blues fans seem to be pretty angry at Lukaku across the board, you only had to look at the replies and comments to see just how much Hasselbaink's words struck a chord in particular.
One Chelsea fan remarked: "What Jimmy is saying is exactly right..."
Another chimed in: "Sums it up perfectly! Legend."
A third responded by tweeting: "Well said Jimmy. Perfectly put."
A fourth penned: "An upset Jimmy Hasselbaink calling it as it is. No sugar coating whatsoever!"
And another tweeter wrote: "Jimmy is so right. I'm sorry, but I'm 100% behind Tuchel."
It's difficult to make too many assumptions about the situation when the whole story hasn't come out yet, but it's easy to see why so many fans and experts alike are shocked by Lukaku's interview.
The simple fact of the matter is that Chelsea didn't need any more drama in what has already proven to be a trying spell in their season with just two wins in their last six Premier League games.
And you can rest assured that we haven't heard the last of an explosive situation that could impact Lukaku's Chelsea legacy forever. Stay tuned.
