Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has insisted that selling Romelu Lukaku made both financial and football sense.
The 21-year-old Belgian striker has joined Everton for £28m and Mourinho said the size of the fee and chance for him to play regular football meant the deal suited all parties.
Lukaku would have been third choice at best in the central striking role at Chelsea, behind summer signings Diego Costa and Didier Drogba.
Mourinho said: “Romelu was always very clear in his mentality. He wanted to play for Chelsea but he wanted to be clearly the first-choice striker which, in a club of our dimension, is very difficult to promise to a player.
“Everton came in with an important offer and when you have the chance to make some movements that create a positive impact in Financial Fair play, Chelsea always analyse this situation.
“The important thing is that he is happy and things work well for him. He is a good kid. He has a way of organising his career project. The only thing we can do is to wish him well.”
Lukaku, who has signed a five-year contract at Goodison Park, scored 15 goals in 31 Premier League appearances while on loan at Everton last season and the Merseyside club had long been keen to capture him on a permanent deal.
He joined Chelsea from Anderlecht in 2011 but was unable to establish himself in the first team.
He spent the season before last on loan at West Brom, scoring 17 league goals for the Baggies, and was tipped to make an impact at Stamford Bridge.
However, after returning as Blues boss, Mourinho surprised many by sending Lukaku back out on loan, and Chelsea had been widely tipped to sell the player this summer.
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This post was last modified on 31/07/2014