Chelsea’s re-acquisition of Romelu Lukaku in 2021 had a ring of one of the closing lyrics to J. Cole’s “No Role Modelz” to it; “Fool me one time shame on you. Fool me twice, can't put the blame on you”. The physically imposing, unmistakable marksman is undoubtedly a world-class striker when at his best, but like any relationship in life, there are some that just don’t, and never will work. The Blues made the same mistake twice, and were indeed, fooled again when thinking the big Belgian was the answer to their striker-less woes.

After an initially promising start upon his return to Stamford Bridge, netting three goals in his opening three games, the striker wouldn’t pop up on the scoresheet again until December. Following a seriously ill-advised interview with an Italian news channel, in which the player appeared to take aim at his current employers, the striker was loaned back out to Inter Milan for the 2022/23 campaign with relations with the Blues seemingly irreparable. While the prodigal son has returned for the new season under Mauricio Pochettino he looks set to be surplus to requirements and has been tipped for a permanent move away this summer. With that in mind, let’s take a look at who the West Londoners could have signed instead of big Rom following their second Champions League win in 2021…

All statistics included are according to Transfermarkt unless stated otherwise.

5 Erling Haaland

Erling Braut Haaland’s talents were seemingly sent from the Viking Gods. The physical powerhouse, who possesses a ruthless eye in front of goal, has been terrorising defences all over Europe. The striker caught the attention of a whole host of elite European clubs thanks to his scintillating displays for RB Salzburg in the Champions League. Despite offers from elsewhere, the Norwegian marksman hand-picked Dortmund as his next club, with the Bundesliga outfit a renowned hotbed for nurturing some of the best young prodigies in the sport.

Spending two years tearing up the Bundesliga, the Scandinavian specimen wasn’t short of a few seriously tempting offers, not least from Chelsea in 2021 a year on from his 2020 Golden Boy win. The West Londoners had just won the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel and were looking to add firepower to their forward department with Timo Werner’s profligate debut season at the Bridge flattering to deceive, registering just 12 goals all season in comparison to the mightily impressive 41 of Haaland. Ultimately, the player-plus-cash proposal rumoured to have been offered by Chelsea, which included either Tammy Abraham or Callum Hudson-Odoi, was reportedly turned down by the Bundesliga side. It was, of course, Manchester City who eventually landed his signature, and it's fair to say his record-breaking goals return speaks for itself.

4 Harry Kane

During the 2021 summer transfer window, Harry Kane returned from the Euros with aspirations of adding weight to his career, and silverware to his trophy cabinet. As such, his attempts at forcing through a move at Spurs were subject to national headlines in the sports world, with a host of clubs lining up to take him from Hotspur Way. The record-breaking striker was coming off the back of another stellar campaign, where he tallied 40 G/A contributions, as well as knocking in four goals on England’s run to the Euro 2020 final.

After making his desire to leave abundantly clear via an interview with Gary Neville, Manchester City, and Chelsea were in hot pursuit of the boy from Walthamstow. While Guardiola’s City led the chase for large swathes of the summer, it was reported that Chelsea were prepared to offer a cash-plus-player swap deal, with Tammy Abraham going the other way.

Despite the history of bitter rivalry between the two clubs, there were several indications that the deal could actually happen with the player itching for a move away from North London. While Kane would go on to spend two more years at Tottenham, he’d soon find himself realising his objective by landing a move to one of the most decorated sides in European history, Bayern Munich.

3 Darwin Núñez

It’s been a rocky start in red for the Uruguayan, who has spent the last year trying to acclimatise to the demands of the Premier League. The striker has an air of Timo Werner about him, an exciting rawness that is crying out to be nurtured and translated into goals. He sealed a move to Merseyside during the 2022 summer transfer window after a truly astounding campaign at Benfica, where the player knocked in 34 goals, and scooped the Primeira Liga Player of the Year Award in the process.

However, Nunez’s career trajectory could have taken a different direction a year earlier, with the Uruguay international tipped as a potential Chelsea target. According to Portuguese newspaper, Record, Benfica were in receipt of substantial interest from a number of Premier League clubs, with the Blues reportedly one of the sides among them.

2 Alexander Isak

23-year-old Alexander Isak has started to erect quite the reputation at St. James’ Park, having signed for Newcastle during the 2022 summer window from Real Sociedad. Last summer wasn’t the only time the tricky Swede had captured the gaze of a Premier League side and had actually been the topic of much prospective transfer attention a year prior.

The pacy forward already had a history of working under Thomas Tuchel while at Borussia Dortmund, a fact that was perhaps considered advantageous by Chelsea’s recruitment team when scouting the player. The Pensioners were allegedly keen on Isak, who had found the net on 17 occasions for Sociedad during the preceding campaign and saw him as an ideal alternative to Haaland, seeking to rival Arsenal's interest.

1 Robert Lewandowski

Any potential Robert Lewandowski suitor knows what they’re getting with the striker; goals. A guaranteed marksman, the prolific Polish international has been a revered goalscorer for well over a decade. After several all-conquering years at Bayern Munich, Lewandowski was approaching the end of his contract and looked set to be vying for a move away from Bavaria, for one last crack at another elite European league.

With Chelsea’s attempts at luring Erling Braut Haaland away from Dortmund thwarted, Abaramovich, Tuchel, and co. were looking elsewhere for their man that could lead the line, and the then 32-year-old was purportedly high on their list of alternatives. Lewandowski would go on to sign a deal at Camp Nou, and staying true to his name has been finding the net with aplomb in Catalonia.