Chelsea are at the inception of a new era, with owner Todd Boehly replacing long-time proprietor Roman Abramovich last year after the Russian oligarch was forced to sell in the fallout of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
It has been imperfect, to say the least, with Thomas Tuchel sacked in the early phases of the campaign after a discernible and steady decline in 2022 and replacement Graham Potter failing to provide the results on the pitch during the foundation of his reign in west London.
Indeed, Chelsea currently languish in tenth place in the Premier League, also falling in both domestic cup competitions prematurely, bested by Manchester City on either occasion.
But there is now light at the end of the tunnel, with four successive victories and qualification to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where holders Real Madrid await.
Around £600m has been pumped into the club since last summer, but one area yet to find lucrative replenishment is the talismanic position, with 33-year-old striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring three times all season and omitted from the club's Champions League squad for the latter phase.
With Romelu Lukaku out on loan at Inter Milan, some might call for the 29-year-old powerhouse's return amid the changing cogs at the club, but Potter must stick to his guns and search for a fresh face, with Lukaku's time at the helm of the Stamford Bridge ship surely over.
How much did Chelsea pay for Lukaku?
When Lukaku signed for Chelsea for £97.5m from Inter Milan – the club's record transfer until the British-record £107m acquisition of Enzo Fernandez in January – optimism was rife that a devastating forward would rain goals down on opposing forces in destructive and unrelenting fashion.
Indeed, the Belgian holds his own in discourse detailing the most prolific modern strikers, scoring 68 goals from 104 international appearances and boasting 271 goals and 88 assists from 571 outings at club level, including 121 goals in the Premier League.
However, his stint at Chelsea last season was a dismal failure; scoring just eight times in the top-flight and leaving the Blues fan base incensed after an explosive and damaging interview at the season's midpoint.
The "woeful" – as once branded by Samuel Luckhurst – £185k-per-week ace was pushed back out on loan to Serie A with I Nerazzurri, where he has scored just five times from 19 outings during an injury-stricken year.
Wedged in the centre of this term, Lukaku infamously suffered an ignominious performance at the 2022 World Cup, missing four glaring opportunities and recording a shambolic 5.6 match rating – as per Sofascore – in the group phase against Croatia and crashing out of contention prematurely.
The signing has been such a profound catastrophe that journalist Chris Deerin even labelled it a "transfer calamity", and Potter must indeed target a new talisman if he wants to ensure Chelsea to not stagnate in their endeavours.
It's been a stark plummet from prominence for the towering Belgian powerhouse, with injury and the taint of a woeful World Cup indeed inhibiting his fortunes with Inter, so much so that he's now worth only £48m, via Transfermarkt, a staggering 51% decrease in such a short space of time.
With Chelsea transitioning to a new phase this season, the next chapter at the illustrious Premier League outfit must not be hindered by the return of Lukaku, perhaps reaching the end of his imperious best. Indeed, they must finally call time on his second spell at the club this summer; it has been a shambolic transfer all round.
