Romelu Lukaku & Paul Pogba head back to Italy after England flop

Two of the biggest transfer storylines appear to have finally been resolved. Just one year after leaving Inter Milan for Chelsea, Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku has returned to Inter Milan for this upcoming soccer season. Also, Paul Pogba will re-join Juventus from Manchester United on a free transfer after a tumultuous six years with the English giants.

Both of these cases are very interesting and all in all, some terrible business by the English clubs. Lukaku has been a revered striker for many years but probably peaked two years ago with Inter where he scored 24 goals in 36 matches. In turn, Chelsea bought Lukaku for 97.5 million Euros and that’s where it went downhill for Chelsea.

Lukaku was constantly faulted for his lack of effort for the Blues and only scored eight Premier League goals. He could never settle within the Chelsea club and was vocal about his desire to leave just months after signing. Now, he will head back to Inter Milan for a yearlong loan and Inter will only have to pay a 7 million Euro loan fee. In essence, Chelsea lost upwards of 90 million Euros for a year of Lukaku’s play where he was detrimental to the club as a whole.

A similar case is unfurling in Juventus where Paul Pogba will be joining them on a free transfer. Pogba rose to prominence in 2015 for Juventus and the central midfielder was seen as one of the preeminent young talents in world soccer. Manchester United ended up buying Pogba for a then-record transfer fee of 105 million Euros. During his six year tenure at United, Pogba was very inconsistent and ultimately, he never made the impact that was intended.

One can argue Pogba wasn’t necessarily a failure of a signing due to him giving United a strong six years. However, he never really played at the level he was at during his time at Juventus and to make matters worse, Pogba played substantially better in international games with France. Now, he will head back to Italy and hope to turn back the clock.

Overall, it remains to be seen whether these players will find their form with their new clubs. That being said, the Italian Giants appear to have done some fantastic business in the transfer markets and will get massive names for pennies on the dollar. It is an embarrassing time for these English clubs and Serie A clubs are taking full advantage.

Looking into next year’s Serie A race, it’s going to be a very interesting season. After a decade of Juventus dominance where they won nine straight titles, Inter Milan, with Lukaku at the helm, won the title in 2021. This past year, it was AC Milan who won the title. Looking at the odds for next season, it appears like it will be a three team race between those aforementioned clubs.

Juventus are currently the favorite at +175 and are closely followed by Inter at +200. AC Milan are at +300 and the oddsmakers are giving them a good shot to repeat as champions. At this point, none of these teams are worth betting on as their odds do not present good value. There will be a lot of team changes from this point up to the start of the season and there should be better opportunities to wager on an Italian club. Our pick would be Juventus but at +175 we recommend waiting for a better number with the top betting sites.

In total, this upcoming Serie A season will be one full of intrigue and these new signings just add to that. The Summer Transfer Window is already in full swing and the stories that will shape the upcoming season are taking place around the world. It’s going to be a great season of soccer and we can hardly wait any longer.
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