Christian Pulisic has offered his verdict on Chelsea's £98 million ($136m) deal for Romelu Lukaku, with the United States international expecting a prolific Belgian striker to deliver more "exciting times" at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are the current holders of a much sought-after Champions League crown, while an impressive 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in a 2021-22 Premier League opener suggests that a title challenge could be on the cards this season.
Thomas Tuchel still has Lukaku to slot into a star-studded side, on the back of a big-money transfer from Inter, and Pulisic expects a proven performer in the final third to make west London heavyweights even more dangerous than they already are.
What has been said?
The USMNT star has told Chelsea's official website of welcoming one of the best No.9s in world football onto the Blues' books: "Lukaku’s a great striker.
"He plays really good with his back to goal, holding the ball, and he’s a great goalscorer, so I’m very excited to play with him. It’s going to be exciting times.
"We have a very good team with a lot of depth and it’s a really exciting team. When you have a bunch of good players it’s never a bad thing so we’re really excited to see how this year goes."
Can Chelsea challenge for more trophies?
Chelsea barely had to get out of first gear when easing to a comfortable derby victory over Crystal Palace in their first domestic outing of the new season.
Prior to that contest, another trophy had been collected when edging out Villarreal on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup.
Tuchel's men appear ready to chase down even more silverware, with Pulisic among the goals for them against the Eagles, but nobody is getting carried away just yet.
"Obviously it’s always nice to get on the score sheet so I’m very happy, but I’m just happy about the win for the team," Pulisic added on early progress.
"We put a really good performance together and the clean sheet was very important, so it was a really good day for us and I’m just happy with getting three important points.
"Obviously challenging for the title is what we’re going to fight for, but it’s just the first game. We’re going to take it game by game, and try to put a great season together."
Chelsea will be back in action on Sunday when facing another London foe in the form of Arsenal.
Further reading
- Chelsea's new king: Lukaku ready to inherit Drogba's throne
- Tuchel reveals when Lukaku will make his debut
- 'Pulisic wants to be the go-to player at Chelsea'