Piero Ausilio has lashed out at Romelu Lukaku. The technical director of Internazionale would have liked to keep the striker, who played for the club on loan last season, longer. However, Lukaku held off and was eventually loaned out by Chelsea to AS Roma.
In conversation with Radio TV Series A Ausilio looks back on the transfer saga surrounding the Belgian. “Lukaku is part of the past,” the driver begins positively. “We have won a wonderful title together and experienced wonderful things over the years and he has provided us with significant added value.”
Lukaku had a mixed season last season. The physically strong striker struggled for a long time with injuries, which did not benefit his game. He was also accused by Inter chairman Giuseppe ‘Beppe’ Marotta, among others, of being overweight. Ultimately, Lukaku came into his own, especially in the second half of the season. The Red Devil scored fourteen goals, three of which in the Champions League. Inter reached the final, where Lukaku failed to score despite several good chances.
Inter wanted to sign Lukaku, but in the end that did not happen. Just before the transfer market closed last summer, Lukaku opted for a rental period at Roma, where he is one of the undisputed strongholds. Ausilio accuses Lukaku of a lack of respect. “I prefer not to talk about it, but I just say that there should always be education and respect.”
“And there was a lack of education and respect on his part,” Ausilio continues. “Sometimes transfers do not go through and if there is respect, that is not a problem. But if a player doesn’t answer the phone when we call him, you know right away that it’s time to move on.”
“Lukaku’s chapter with us has been closed since July 8, I remember that date perfectly. The phone call with him was short and firm after several attempts to call him earlier. I told Romelu what I thought.” With the arrival of Marcus Thuram, Alexis Sánchez and Marko Arnautovic i Nerazzurri still need to strengthen themselves for the striker position. Reinforcement up front was also needed, as Edin Dzeko also left the club.
Police
Last Sunday, Roma visited Inter. Beforehand, the Curva Nord Milano, the club’s fanatical supporters, planned to hand out 30,000 whistles. The intention of the Milanese supporters was to have as many people as possible whistle at the Belgian. The Italian police then decided to ban the whistles. According to Italian media, that decision came after Roma filed a complaint about the action.
That didn’t stop the Inter fans from naturally booing the Belgian. Lukaku and Roma were also dealt a blow by a goal from Thuram ten minutes before the end. It also turned out to be the only goal of the match. On a personal level, Lukaku is having a good season at Roma. In eleven matches he scored eight goals.