[Quakes Fan]

Clearly, several teams were chasing Lukaku, Chelsea ended up paying £13m.  If that's not a case of someone being a better prospect than I don't know what is!

I did point that out, but I think it's a fair question to ask anyway. If you just toss out the amount of cash spent on a player, you're just giving someone else's opinion (albeit an educated one  ).

[Standaman]

In terms of assessing how good any player is just forget the fee particularly if that fee was paid by Man City, Liverpool or Chelsea who always seem to pay over the odds for their signings. His scoring record at Anderlect was impressive but Belgium is not one of Europes top leagues the fact that he is a full international at the age of 18 does suggest a huge talent but he hasn't set the world alight at international level.

As Quakes has said we are looking at potential but nothing more at this stage. My guess is he will have a breakout season much the same way as Sturrigge did at Bolton but that may or may not be this year. I would hate to part with any of our current strikers because we signed him (Cox does not count because his bags have been packed all summer) and even assuming that Odemwingie is earmaked for a wide right berth that still leaves four players and one striker role in the team so someone will be leaving the club because of this signing.

[richjonawba]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-p8qAF5-us&feature=player_embedded

seems like a good lad, and also seems excited to play for us. Im predicting BIG things from him this season 15 goals minimum im feeling

[tommcneill]

I have too say this is an impressive signing and finally we are using the loan market to good effect.

I dreamt last season that we signed him on-loan this pre-season (how random?!)

we now have Pete, Long, Rosenberg, Fortune and Lukaku for me you need 4-5 strikers of decent quality to push on to the next level from where we are right now.

Not only that but the strikers we have now allow us to change the way we play depending on the team we are playing, pace,height and strength in abundance. It will also push the strikers to perform week in week out or another good striker can come in and take their place.

Im very excited by this signing.

[Wbamitch]

Im definately the least excited on the forum, the few times i saw him play for Chelsea he resembled an Ishmael Miller type figure with the ball just bouncing off him. When i first heard news of this my reaction was of a very dissapointed and frustrated nature which is a huge difference to the majority i have read both on here and social networking website.
 I am impressed with what he has had to say on the website in fairness, although i have to say i think he could be a frustrating player to have in the team who could possess some rather lacklustre features with him possibly not working hard for the team and tyring to do too much for himself when he does have the ball.

 I also worry that the departure of one of Long, Fortune or even Odemwingie could arise from this and for me personally i would prefer the option of either of those 3 to Lukaku at the moment.  He's pretty much assured of first team football with us so we will have to see whether it would be a wise move to be at the cost of one of the three strikers i have previously mentioned.

Im not usually a controversial type poster on here so im sorry to spoil the run of exciting and positive thoughts. Although i can say i did have the same sort of feeling for Keith Andrews and that worked realtively well 

Anyway, Welcome Romelu Lukaku. I hope you prove me wrong.

[rubyruby]

Im definately the least excited on the forum, the few times i saw him play for Chelsea he resembled an Ishmael Miller type figure with the ball just bouncing off him. When i first heard news of this my reaction was of a very dissapointed and frustrated nature which is a huge difference to the majority i have read both on here and social networking website.
 I am impressed with what he has had to say on the website in fairness, although i have to say i think he could be a frustrating player to have in the team who could possess some rather lacklustre features with him possibly not working hard for the team and tyring to do too much for himself when he does have the ball.

 I also worry that the departure of one of Long, Fortune or even Odemwingie could arise from this and for me personally i would prefer the option of either of those 3 to Lukaku at the moment.  He's pretty much assured of first team football with us so we will have to see whether it would be a wise move to be at the cost of one of the three strikers i have previously mentioned.

Im not usually a controversial type poster on here so im sorry to spoil the run of exciting and positive thoughts. Although i can say i did have the same sort of feeling for Keith Andrews and that worked realtively well 

Anyway, Welcome Romelu Lukaku. I hope you prove me wrong.

If we had paid a big transfer and he was on big wages then i can see your point. But as loan signings go this is an absolute beauty. We have no other forward like him and he is a very intimidating figure. He still has to earn a starting spot like all the other players so he will have to produce. Does he strengthen our options is the question we have to ask and the answer must be yes surely?

[slugga1]

This really is a top top loan. I'm in disbelief really in how well we have done in the market this window. To say I'm excited for the coming season is an understatement that's for sure. I really can't see us letting go of Pete or Shane so we really do have a a top quality strike force which will make all of the attacking players up their game to compete for a place in the starting line up. This has to be the best options we have had upfront for a very very long time.

[LiamTheBaggie]

Delighted with this signing and I hope it proves a success.

Another forward option for Steve Clarke.

Mouth watering!

[mateinone]

I consider this loan similar to the Sturridge one, which was a success... That Bolton did not go on with things is not because of the Sturridge loan, for goodness sake he played 10-15 games with them and they should have been lining up a striker in readiness. They knew (and we know) that it is a loan and nothing more, it was never going to be permanent with Sturridge and it won't be with Lukaku.

I have some concerns about where everyone fits into the plans, but that is up to the manager to sort out for now, no doubt he had a plan when he brought Lukaku in.

Very happy overall with this news.

[blackcountryblues]

I'm with the optimists on this, i think he will have a major impact and move The Baggies up into a dark horses for Europa category as opposed to a safety first finish in the premier. I was a little concerned that we might be a bit defensive as that is obviously Steve Clarkes strong point but this signing and that of Rosenberg prove to me that Mr Clarke may become a bit more adventurous now he is in the hot seat himself.

Not only is the loan signing in itself a positive move but it also indicatess a recognition by Chelsea,who like em or not are the Champions of Europe, that Steve Clarke is a top coach who can be trusted to look after and develop one of their future prospects.

I dont think Romelu was given enough time to prove himself at Chelsea as they somehow found themselves in two major finals after we beat em and relied on the more tried and trusted Drogba and Torres. Hopefully the potential will be unleashed over the next few months.

 

 

[alex1]

Lukaku is another step up in quality. He scored alot of goals for Anderlecht  at a very young age, and even though the Belgian league is not so strong, they are traditionally the top Belgian club and always involved in European competition.  The point is, he is another quality forward option. I'm sure Chelsea will have lent him expecting him to get game time, but if he's not on form, we have Rosenberg, Pete, Long and MAF, so the chances are that at least one of the them will be sharp and on form.

I accept that potentially some very decent players are going to get less game time, and that applies to the midfielders as well. It might mean that one of the above ends up leaving. However, games last 90 minutes, and a team that can bring on a quality striker with new energy after 60-70 minutes can easily be the decisive factor which wins the game.

[zippyandbungle]

Somebody made the point that the Belgian league is not the strongest, well pete had a stint there and seems ok?
Also why do we need to find fault before he plays for us , the facts are Chelsea paid 18 mill for him , he his a big guy with a lot of potential it also gives us the most attacking options (quality wise) that I can remember.
Soon ladies and gentlemen with Rosenberg pete and lukaka we will field an attack worth over 35mill , did you really expect that this season?
Game on..

[boinging_along]

Lukaku looked pretty sharp in pre-season for Chelsea.  He's scored 7 in 9 reserve games.  Last season we struggled a bit with our forwards.  Long and Odemwingie had poor patches of form or missed games because of injury.  We were left with MAF and Cox. 

As much as I like MAF for his hold up play his goal return is lacking.  Cox is a great professional but just not really quite good enough.

Put it this way, we've swapped Cox for Lukaku this year - that can only be a good thing.

[JtheMull]

As some people have already said: he's a beast! I'm lovin the chant to the tune of Mulumbu/Kaka:
Lukaku, woah! Lukaku, woah! He came from Stamford Bridge, he's bigger than a fridge! Ha Ha! I think it's a brilliant signing for one year! Licking the start of the Steve Clarke Era! Although is there an element of the signing that RDM was involved?

[addy]

As some people have already said: he's a beast! I'm lovin the chant to the tune of Mulumbu/Kaka:
Lukaku, woah! Lukaku, woah! He came from Stamford Bridge, he's bigger than a fridge! Ha Ha! I think it's a brilliant signing for one year! Licking the start of the Steve Clarke Era! Although is there an element of the signing that RDM was involved?

Yes both, RDM recommend to Lukaku come here as its a great club, so did Eddie Newton.

Steve Clarke was also the first to contact Lukaku when it became apparent he was available and Lampard and Terry both told Lukaku to come here because of what a great person Steve Clarke is to work for.

[geoff]

Yes both, RDM recommend to Lukaku come here as its a great club, so did Eddie Newton.

Steve Clarke was also the first to contact Lukaku when it became apparent he was available and Lampard and Terry both told Lukaku to come here because of what a great person Steve Clarke is to work for.

John Terry told him Steve Clarke would be good for him to.

[The Black Pearl]

As some people have already said: he's a beast! I'm lovin the chant to the tune of Mulumbu/Kaka:
Lukaku, woah! Lukaku, woah! He came from Stamford Bridge, he's bigger than a fridge! Ha Ha! I think it's a brilliant signing for one year! Licking the start of the Steve Clarke Era! Although is there an element of the signing that RDM was involved?

Licking!     Not sure Steve Clarke would like that!

[Jack Russell]

Has he ever scored in the premier league? i think some of you lot are getting a tad too excited here

[devonbaggiecjaj]

Has he ever scored in the premier league? i think some of you lot are getting a tad too excited here

Come on jack even you must be able to see he is a better option than cox

[GrGr]

Has he ever scored in the premier league? i think some of you lot are getting a tad too excited here

Why? Lukaku is a world class talent. It's only a matter of time before he becomes a force in the PL and elsewhere.

[matt_home1]

If he had signed for someone else, the same people who say he aint scored etc, would probably be saying, we got on ambition, he is the type of player we should be getting, JP out etc.

sometimes us fans just want to see the bad points

[DownInAlbion]

If he had signed for someone else, the same people who say he aint scored etc, would probably be saying, we got on ambition, he is the type of player we should be getting, JP out etc.

sometimes us fans just want to see the bad points

or the facts...

[Bito]

As a Belgian who follows the PL regurarely I'm pretty excited Lukaku finally going on a loan to another club. I was already a bit interested when El Ghanassy signed for you guys(he came from my favourite club), but now I'm definitely going to follow WBA with Lukaku.

Lukaku is a great talent, but I can understand the scepticism of some people here however. I believe that if Lukaku gets enough playing time and confidence that he will be able to score 10 to 15 goals for WBA this season. His top speed is great, he's as strong as the hulk and might get even stronger considering his age,  his passing is decent(and a great cross actually, but as an CF it's something you don't have to use very often) and he can score a good amount of goals if he gets confidence. And his mentality is good.

His downsides are his acceleration(although it's not bad, but Drogba's acceleration for example is way better), his inablity to create chances or weigh on a defence when it's a closed game(but he's still young, that can improve with experience), and probably his biggest setback: his ball control. This last thing is really something he should work on, it's the only thing that really worries me in order for him to become a world class striker. The problem is that a good ball control is usually something that you have the knack for or you don't, it's hard to train that. He should also try to improve his heading, it's not bad but considering his body and height he should try to be awesome in it.

The press also said that he's the new Drogba, but I never really agreed with that though. He's a different kind of targetman, if you could compare him to anyone then I would say that he looks more like Adebayor in his style of play. Don't expect him to crack open every defence in the PL this season, but I'm pretty certain that if he gets enough confidence that he will be a solid striker for WBA this season.

[DownInAlbion]

As a Belgian who follows the PL regurarely I'm pretty excited Lukaku finally going on a loan to another club. I was already a bit interested when El Ghanassy signed for you guys(he came from my favourite club), but now I'm definitely going to follow WBA with Lukaku.

Lukaku is a great talent, but I can understand the scepticism of some people here however. I believe that if Lukaku gets enough playing time and confidence that he will be able to score 10 to 15 goals for WBA this season. His top speed is great, he's as strong as the hulk and might get even stronger considering his age,  his passing is decent(and a great cross actually, but as an CF it's something you don't have to use very often) and he can score a good amount of goals if he gets confidence. And his mentality is good.

His downsides are his acceleration(although it's not bad, but Drogba's acceleration for example is way better), his inablity to create chances or weigh on a defence when it's a closed game(but he's still young, that can improve with experience), and probably his biggest setback: his ball control. This last thing is really something he should work on, it's the only thing that really worries me in order for him to become a world class striker. The problem is that a good ball control is usually something that you have the knack for or you don't, it's hard to train that. He should also try to improve his heading, it's not bad but considering his body and height he should try to be awesome in it.

The press also said that he's the new Drogba, but I never really agreed with that though. He's a different kind of targetman, if you could compare him to anyone then I would say that he looks more like Adebayor in his style of play. Don't expect him to crack open every defence in the PL this season, but I'm pretty certain that if he gets enough confidence that he will be a solid striker for WBA this season.

thanks for your input its much appreciated!
we would all be very happy if your prediction of 10-15 goals comes true.

how do you think el ghanassy will do in the premiership?

[Jack Russell]

As a Belgian who follows the PL regurarely I'm pretty excited Lukaku finally going on a loan to another club. I was already a bit interested when El Ghanassy signed for you guys(he came from my favourite club), but now I'm definitely going to follow WBA with Lukaku.

Lukaku is a great talent, but I can understand the scepticism of some people here however. I believe that if Lukaku gets enough playing time and confidence that he will be able to score 10 to 15 goals for WBA this season. His top speed is great, he's as strong as the hulk and might get even stronger considering his age,  his passing is decent(and a great cross actually, but as an CF it's something you don't have to use very often) and he can score a good amount of goals if he gets confidence. And his mentality is good.

His downsides are his acceleration(although it's not bad, but Drogba's acceleration for example is way better), his inablity to create chances or weigh on a defence when it's a closed game(but he's still young, that can improve with experience), and probably his biggest setback: his ball control. This last thing is really something he should work on, it's the only thing that really worries me in order for him to become a world class striker. The problem is that a good ball control is usually something that you have the knack for or you don't, it's hard to train that. He should also try to improve his heading, it's not bad but considering his body and height he should try to be awesome in it.

The press also said that he's the new Drogba, but I never really agreed with that though. He's a different kind of targetman, if you could compare him to anyone then I would say that he looks more like Adebayor in his style of play. Don't expect him to crack open every defence in the PL this season, but I'm pretty certain that if he gets enough confidence that he will be a solid striker for WBA this season.

Welcome and thanks for your views.If he scores the amount of goals you say he is capable of then West Bromwich Albion will be a premier league football club next season.
If he is has exciting has some say then i am sure i will be sitting on the edge of my seat and i aint done that for a few seasons.
WBA is now your team from England