He'll be off next Summer. Forget about new contract talk. So once again we give a chance to, prepare and develop a gun footballer for a move elsewhere...
“I read some stories in the press about January, but no way, no way,” Koeman declared.
“Bayern Munich, Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona... he stays until at least the end of the season.”
He added: “That needs to be the next step for him but we, as Evertonian people, can be proud that he made that step. But let’s score goals and that is best answer he can give.”
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Everton striker Romelu Lukaku is staying put in January, says Ronald Koeman
Blues not interested in moving on Juventus and Bayern Munich target in New Year transfer window
Ronald Koeman has told a host of clubs sniffing around
Romelu Lukaku they have no chance of signing
Everton’s top scorer in January.
The Blues’ striker is in red-hot form after scoring seven times in the opening 10 games of the new Premier League season as well as chipping with three assists.
Juventus and Bayern Munich are among the European heavyweights to have been tipped to test Everton’s resolve over the 23-year-old but Koeman insists Lukaku is going nowhere.
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“I read some stories in the press about January, but no way, no way,” Koeman declared.
“Bayern Munich, Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona... he stays until at least the end of the season.”
He added: “That needs to be the next step for him but we, as Evertonian people, can be proud that he made that step. But let’s score goals and that is best answer he can give.”
Lukaku ended months of speculation by committing his immediate future to Everton on the eve of the trip to West Bromwich Albion in August.
Old club Chelsea, who the Blues face on Saturday night, angered Everton with attempts to try and unsettle the Belgium international during the summer.
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Koeman revealed at the time that the club had been looking to line up replacements in case Lukaku did push for a move away from Goodison but he now admits he was “afraid” to lose him.
“We tried to be prepared, always, because he will not play always (here) because he is a big striker and there will always come interest from bigger clubs than Everton but I think the boy is 23 years old and took the right decision to stay,” Koeman said.
“He can improve, he needs to improve, and that was good and, of course, it is very difficult to get a replacement for a player who compares to Romelu - that is maybe impossible.
“I was really happy (when he decided to stay) and I was a little bit afraid to lose the player.
“Okay, we then have money but we don’t have a striker who will score 20, 25 goals but he took that decision and everybody is happy about that.”
Romelu Lukaku celebrates his goal against West Ham United with Yannick Bolasie last Sunday
So what does Koeman think changed Lukaku’s mind?
“Maybe a support in his final decision was what he saw from the beginning in training, how we like to play, how important he can be for the team, important for himself,” he said.
“That feeling made the final decision that he took to stay.”
Lukaku has made no secret of his desire to play in the Champions League but Koeman says being able to push for the top four is not only important in keeping him at Goodison but also in their ability to attract players as well.
“Not only for Romelu, but for everybody and, maybe in the future, for new players,” he added.
“That they can see something happening at Everton and it is in a good way to win, but that’s the project we spoke about with the board.
“It is not only about this season, my contract is three years and that is what we like, to make the gap smaller than it is now. We are in a good way but we know we need to continue and that is all about the project we have in our heads.”
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And Koeman hopes that the project can be spearheaded by a striker he rates as one of the most clinical in the Premier League.
“He is a strong man, he is fast, he is maybe one of the best in front of goal in being clinical,” Koeman said.
“We do a lot of finishing in the sessions during the week and he is really impressive in front of the goal, how he scores and how he comfortable he is in the last part of attacking.
“He will get more experience, he will be stronger and we try with him also to do better pressing but that is a little bit more difficult because then he needs to run and (to know) when you start to run.”
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“I had Graziano Pelle in Southampton,” he went on to say.
“He was also very strong, tall, fast but Romelu is a better finisher than Pelle was.
“He is one of most complete attacking strikers we have.
“He’s strong, you can play a long ball but to play a long ball to Aguero is more difficult. He is a top striker but at 23 years old. the best needs to come.”
