Romelu Lukaku’s intervention prevented a promising talent from making a move to a rival club, Chelsea, during his early days at Stamford Bridge. Back in 2011, Lukaku, then a teenager, made the transition from the Belgian team Anderlecht to Chelsea. However, his initial season with the London club was marked by struggles, and his second season was even less impressive.
During this period, Chelsea’s interest in acquiring the talented winger Jeremy Doku was well-known. However, Lukaku’s involvement in this transfer saga is a lesser-known story. Behind the scenes, Lukaku played a significant role in deterring Chelsea from signing Doku.
Anderlecht’s academy director, Jean Kindermans, shed light on this intriguing episode. According to Kindermans, Doku, who would later become a Manchester City winger, was eligible to make a move to Chelsea while still representing Anderlecht. However, Lukaku actively worked to prevent this transfer from materializing.
Kindermans recalled the pivotal moment when he discussed the challenge of retaining young talents like Doku with Lukaku. Lukaku’s response was proactive: “Come on, pass your phone to me, I’m going to call him.” This impromptu offer to mediate in the situation was certainly intriguing, but Kindermans opted for a different approach.
Instead of making that phone call, Kindermans persuaded Lukaku to use his influence to convince Jeremy Doku and his family to stay with Anderlecht. Kindermans even possesses a video recording of the conversation, where Lukaku can be heard advising the Doku family to remain at Anderlecht for a while longer, emphasizing their talent.
In essence, Lukaku’s intervention served as a critical factor in retaining Jeremy Doku at Anderlecht and preventing him from making a move to Chelsea at that time. This untold story sheds light on Lukaku’s commitment to his former club’s interests and his ability to influence key decisions behind the scenes.
In the world of football, where transfers and negotiations often dominate headlines, this episode underscores the importance of personal connections and player influence in shaping the destinies of rising stars like Jeremy Doku. Lukaku’s actions not only impacted Doku’s career but also revealed a lesser-known facet of the football transfer landscape, where player relationships can be as influential as any official negotiations.