How Important Is Romelu Lukaku?

Bradley Cates Reports,

Romelu Lukaku’s future at Everton is uncertain as he has told the media that he would like to play for a club that can win trophies and play in the Champions League. So how important is he for Everton? Here is a statistical analysis of Romelu Lukaku in the Premier League in the past three seasons.

2013/14 Season

2014/15 Season

2015/16 Season

Summary

Other Key Stats

  • Everton’s top goalscorer in the past three seasons.
  • Scored in 7 consecutive matches in all the 2015/16 Premier League – the most in the league since Bob Latchford scored in 7 consecutive matches in the 1975/76 First Division.
  • Scored against 11 different teams in the 2015/16 Premier League – the most by an Everton player since Paul Rideout scored against 12 in the 1994/95 Premier League.
  • Romelu Lukaku has scored only 3 goals in his past 18 league games.
  • Romelu Lukaku has scored 18 goals in the league and 25 in all competitions in the 2015/16 season – the most since Gary Lineker scored 30 and 40 respectively in the 1985/86 season.
  • Romelu Lukaku has scored 61 goals in 127 games in all competitions – a goals-per-game ratio of 0.48 (joint-fifth highest with Bob Latchford).

Judging by the stats given, Romelu Lukaku is Everton’s most important attacking player. Without him, it is very likely that Everton would have been in dire straits, particularly as Everton did not have another striker in the same league as him and they also had a very weak defence. So if Romelu Lukaku does leave Everton, the club needs to sign a well-renowned striker with a great goalscoring record in one of the top 5 European leagues as soon as possible. Otherwise, relegation is on the cards. Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu, to name a couple, are great players and can play a key part for Everton, but without a reliable striker, none of that would matter.

However, this all depends on who the next Everton manager will be and/or whether Romelu Lukaku will change his mind and wants to stay. The 2016/17 season will definitely be Everton’s most important season in a very long time.