Romelu Lukaku has taken a swipe at Chelsea, claiming the club played a role in portraying him negatively in the British media during his time at Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian striker, who was frozen out of the squad before his loan moves, revealed that he was not the only player to face such treatment. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Lukaku explained:

“At Chelsea I wasn’t alone, [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and [Hakim] Ziyech were also out of the project. They made us change in the youth dressing room.”

Lukaku described Chelsea’s stance as purely business-driven but suggested players have little control over their future once deemed surplus to requirements:

“It’s business, the club tells you it doesn’t want you anymore and often also where you will end up. If you want to leave, however, you can’t do it.”

The Napoli striker also accused Chelsea of influencing the media narrative against him:

“Clubs have relationships with the press and they make you end up in trouble, they make you look like a person you are not.”

Reflecting on his time in England, Lukaku believes he was unfairly labelled as a lazy player:

“One day I would like to clarify these aspects to the younger ones, explaining who works for them and who against them.

“In England they had the wrong idea. For them, I was lazy, but I never reacted to the attacks. I’m someone who does his job and then goes home.”

Lukaku contrasted this perception with his current image in Italy, where he feels more respected for his work ethic:

“In Italy, the judgment has been reversed, here I’m a worker. Now I’m better than when I was at Inter. There I was 101 kilos, here 99.”

Since joining Napoli, Lukaku has contributed nine goals and seven assists in 25 Serie A games, proving his value once again in a league where he feels more appreciated.