Romelu Lukaku is the Premier League’s top scorer but Chelsea and Man Utd will baulk at £100m fee if he plays like he did at West Ham
Everton's 24-goal star struggled and after he refused Toffees' record pay offer he must decide whether to ask for a move
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ROMELU LUKAKU is the Premier League’s leading scorer and valued at £100million by Everton.
He has 24 this season and has more goals at this stage of his career than Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Harry Kane or Alan Shearer.
Yet on days like this, it is impossible not to wonder what all the fuss is about.
Against a West Ham team with one of the worst defensive records in the Premier League, Lukaku never came close to adding to his 164 career goals.
Crowded out by three central defenders, he did not manage a shot on or off target — or get on the end of a single cross.
It would be wrong to lay all of the blame for Everton’s dismal performance at Lukaku’s door.
He could rightly point to the lack of service and support he received from his team-mates and the fact he was left totally isolated up front.
Teams with genuine top-four aspirations would have found a way past the Hammers’ functional approach but Everton played as though they did not have a clue.
Which is why, three weeks short of his 24th birthday, Lukaku has arrived at a crossroads in his career.
He has already refused Everton’s offer to make him the highest-paid player in their history, on £140,000 a week.
Now he must decide whether to force the issue by handing in a transfer request this summer.
Chelsea and Manchester United are keen but will surely baulk at Everton’s asking price.
It is not clear if Toffees boss Ronald Koeman believes Lukaku is worth that world-record fee or is simply trying to deter potential purchasers.
Yet Lukaku’s value to Everton is indisputable as, on the rare occasions he goes missing, it is clear how ordinary they are without him.
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic stopped short of calling Everton a one-man team but said: “Lukaku has 24 Premier League goals and their next highest scorer has four. So, it is about stopping him.
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“We stopped the supply and when he got the ball we doubled up on him. The three centre-backs did an amazing job.
“Ronald was very honest after the game and told me only one team played and deserved to win.
“They are not happy. If they played like that every week they would not be where they are in the league.”
Maybe the day will arrive when Everton can challenge for major honours.
But you suspect they will have to get there without Lukaku.