There are two stories at hand in the Premier League which should, in the view of the majority, be entangled as one, wiping out the only obvious problem.

At Stamford Bridge, none of Chelsea’s three strikers have scored in the league so far this season. At Goodison Park, Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku can’t stop scoring for Everton, bagging two in the 3-2 win over Newcastle and adding another in the loss away to Manchester City.

Chelsea’s problem, in theory, could be washed away by the presence of Lukaku in the squad, taking over senior striker duties from a duo in Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto’o who, despite their experience at the highest level, haven’t been bringing results. Demba Ba, on the other hand, was likely seen last January as a short-term gain but one who has failed to deliver anything of substance since his transfer from Newcastle.

But the assumption that a 20-year-old Lukaku is the answer for Chelsea at present is wide of the mark. It’s even more misguided to continually lambast Jose Mourinho’s decision to let the youngster go on loan for another season. There are no guarantees that Lukaku would perform in the same manner if he had remained at Chelsea. It can also be easy to dismiss the politics of the club; Roman Abramovich plays a greater role than most of his counterparts around Europe, parachuting in players and insisting, with little acceptance of form, that they should be regulars in the XI. Moreover, Mourinho doesn’t have a history of developing youngsters. Only Raphael Varane can be viewed as something of a success during Mourinho’s time at Real Madrid.

Lukaku is where he is now because he is taking the sensible and logical steps to become the player he’s projected to be. Every path doesn’t lead to the same result, and the likelihood is that the youngster would be in and out of the team at Chelsea, seeing minutes in low-profile games such as the League Cup while Mourinho leans on his trusted allies – and let’s not forget how important players like Eto’o have been to the Portuguese in the past – in bigger matches.

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There are parallels to Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois’ development. The goalkeeper, currently at Atletico Madrid, is seen to be the best young goalkeeper in Europe at present and arguably the best altogether, certainly based on form and what he’s achieved. In Courtois, Chelsea, or whoever ends up with the Belgian in the future – importantly his contract expires in 2016 – will have secured a goalkeeper of remarkable ability and a wealth of experience at the highest level. He has been vital to Atletico’s successes over the past two years, first in capturing European and domestic silverware, but also in undeniably placing them as the third best and most able team in Spain.

Lukaku’s development is similar. West Brom was the sensible approach to take from both the player and Chelsea last season, offering the striker a platform to develop well away from the pressures of the summit of the Premier League. Everton, too, should be viewed as the logical next step. Lukaku may be a Champions League calibre player, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice to throw him in at that level for the sake of short-term gain.

Roberto Martinez knows what it means to win silverware in England, and with a better squad available to him now than what he had at Wigan, the ceiling has been pushed further up; there is now the possibility for European qualification, as well as another addition to his personal trophy cabinet. Lukaku will garner the necessary experience and education under Martinez and at Everton. That is still a club who have ambitions and expectations, despite being further down the ladder than Chelsea. But at his age, it’s the right environment for Lukaku to thrive.

Are Chelsea right for sending Lukaku on loan again this season?

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