Since Romelu Lukaku has arrived from Chelsea, for £28.0M, he has been a key player in Everton’s attacking force. In 82 Premier League matches Lukaku has scored 35 goals. He has continued to grow at Everton with seven goals and three assists in the season so far. Performances like Lukaku’s are bound to receive praise but Ronald Koeman may have taken it too far.

Koeman was interviewed by Dutch newspaper HLN and said ""I think he can emulate Patrick Kluivert, who also rose to prominence at a young age and enjoyed a fantastic career,". There’s nothing wrong with that, just a simple comparison, but it's what Koeman says next that could prove to be dangerous for the Toffees. "He eventually played for Barcelona and I can see Lukaku doing the same. Everton should normally not be the end for him. Romelu will not have made the most of his career if he plays for Everton for the remainder of his career. He has the potential to play for a bigger club than Everton, but nobody knows what will happen after this season.". It is one thing to praise a player to keep him happy, but it is another thing to push the idea of moving to a bigger club. At the very least we can admire Koeman’s honesty but with transfer rumors coming from Chelsea, Manchester City, PSG, Bayern, and Tottenham the last thing Koeman should do is fuel the rumor mill. Lukaku has potential to play for either of those clubs, but it doesn't seem smart to fuel the fire considering the situation with Lukaku’s contract.

Transfer rumors aside, Ronald Koeman may just be saying what nobody else wants to say around Goodison Park. Lukaku is 23 years old and is a young talent, but would anyone anticipate Lukaku staying at Everton permanently. It’s a difficult topic to discuss but Lukaku will most likely move to a different club to "make the most of his career". There are "one club" players, such as Totti and Gerrard, but Lukaku hasn't expressed much interest in staying at Goodison Park.

With transfer rumours and Koemans words in the air, it raises the question of Everton’s future. If Lukaku were to leave Goodison would Everton’s attacking be able to adapt without him? Lukaku is about 6′ 3″and 207 lbs, that's going to be a big presence missing in Everton’s attack. Even if they were to get a replacement, who would they get to replace Lukaku?

The more these transfer rumors persist, the more the Toffees will have to consider a future without Lukaku. Whether Lukaku decides to leave or not, it is important to have a plan of action. Lukaku leaving Goodison Park could be quite detrimental, if the situation gets to that point, but with proper planning and execution Koeman could lessen the blow and adapt to a system without him. Koeman needs to handle the next few months, leading into the January transfer window, very cautiously as they could prove to be a challenging time for the Blues on and off the pitch.











