This is a funny story that should not delight Chelsea fans. This summer, Jérémy Doku flew to Manchester City for a big check for €65 million, from Stade Rennais. The Belgian nugget therefore leaves Ligue 1 after 3 interesting but not transcendent seasons to join the Premier League. And he could have done that well before. Indeed, at the age of 15, while Doku was still playing at Anderlecht, Chelsea – like other major teams – had inquired about the dynamic winger. But according to the director of the Belgian club’s academy, Jean Kindermans, a surprising call diverted the choice of the native of Borgerhout.
Indeed, the latter says that Romelu Lukaku advised Jérémy Doku against signing for Chelsea, advising him on the contrary to stay and learn at Anderlecht, the AS Roma striker’s training club. “I remember taking Romelu to my office about the problem of young players’ commitment to us – Doku in particular. Romelu replied: ‘Come on, give me your phone, I’ll call him.’ But I didn’t want to do that because a phone call is quickly forgotten. So, instead, I asked Romelu to convince Jérémy to stay. I still have the video on my phone. We hear Romelu giving advice to the Doku family, saying ‘Hey guys, stay in Anderlecht for a while, it’s okay’ and so on.tells Jean Kindermans Sunday Mirror. In the end, the former Rennes player will have stayed a few more years in Anderlecht before crossing the border to Brittany. Now under the orders of Pep Guardiola, Doku’s trajectory is dazzling. But not sure that Romelu Lukaku will be forgiven immediately…
