Lukaku under Turkish fire: the Red Devil criticised at Fenerbahçe

Romelu Lukaku left Napoli this summer to join Fenerbahçe, hoping to revive his career and get back to the Champions League, but the Turkish press is already targeting him harshly. After a shortened preparation, his debut was difficult, notably a heavy 6-0 defeat against Aston Villa.

An expensive squad, unrealistic expectations

The Turkish club spent without restraint to attract players such as Ederson, N'Golo Kanté, Milan Škriniar, Nathan Aké, Matteo Guendouzi, Marco Asensio and Mason Greenwood. With such a squad, Fenerbahçe hoped to win new trophies and counted on Lukaku's goals, the Red Devil, to realise its ambitions.

Laborious start and relentless criticism

Lukaku's problem began before his first match: after a season in Napoli disrupted by injuries, his transfer was settled late, depriving him of a good part of the preparation. In his first start against Gaziantep, he was substituted after 64 minutes and received numerous criticisms. Consultant Mustafa Çulcu called him “useless”, while Emre Bol questioned his aerial duels and Sinan Engin even suggested he was looking at himself in the mirror.

These remarks reflect the culture of Turkish football, where performance, transfer fee and the reputation of a big name are closely scrutinised. Lukaku, despite his goal‑scoring past, saw his role limited against Aston Villa, only intervening when the team was trailing 4‑0. Coach Ismail Kartal, already under pressure after a draw against AS Roma, saw his resignation announced and then withdrawn by president Aziz Yıldırım.

Despite these difficulties, Lukaku has already shown that he can score, but the lack of time to regain his rhythm after injuries remains a major obstacle. The Red Devil must therefore balance physical condition, high expectations and media criticism to hope to deliver the expected results for Fenerbahçe.