Chelsea Transfer News: Does Blues Lukaku Loan Foreshadow New Signing?

It looks like the "new Drogba" will be developing his skills away from Stamford Bridge this season.

Chelsea confirmed today that they had loaned Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku out to fellow Premier League club West Bromwich Albion for a year.

The move is obviously an attempt to get their 19-year-old striker the maximum possible amount of playing time to build his experience and grow into the potential he has shown.

The loan was confirmed on Chelsea's official website. Speaking to Chelsea TV about the news, Lukaku said:

I'm very excited. After last season, where I was able to adjust and prepare for this season, I can't wait to start at West Brom.

It's very important because, like Chelsea, West Brom play in the Premier League, but it will also be a good learning school for me where I need to work hard with the players around me.

I've heard a lot of positives about Steve Clarke here and it will be important for me to listen and learn from him. He plays good football.

This is obviously a good idea for Chelsea in the long-term, but what does it mean for the Blues in the upcoming season?

Well, with the squad the way it is right now, the loan is a bit strange.

After all, with Lukaku now gone, Chelsea are left with just two true strikers: Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge.

Now, much can be made about Torres's scoring droughts or Sturridge's lack of passing, but it is a very good call for those two to enter the season as the first-choice striking pair. However, the lack of depth at the position is more than a little concerning.

On the other hand, it might be a sign of exciting new signings on the horizon.

For one thing, the signing of Wigan striker Victor Moses looks all but imminent.

Further, Chelsea have apparently opened talks with Napoli for striker Edinson Cavani.

The Blues have even been linked to Bayer's Andre Schurrle and Porto's Hulk, though the latter looks unlikely to work out.

It seems unlikely that Chelsea would have loaned out one of their three true strikers if they were not confident of making at least one of these signings in the near future.

Expect a couple of new strikers to come to Stamford Bridge over the next three weeks.

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