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Joe Cole believes Romelu Lukaku will propel Chelsea to the next level in their pursuit of the Premier League title –  but he believes the future of Harry Kane is crucial to this season’s title race.

Chelsea started their season in impressive fashion with a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace on Saturday. And while Lukaku was unavailable, the Belgian should be free to feature in this weekend’s game against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. To that end, Thomas Tuchel has warned of a bold new formation that could terrorise the Gunners.

Speaking exclusively to TEAMtalk at a BT Sport event, Cole is excited by what Lukaku can bring. And he thinks the burly Belgian’s arrival takes Chelsea a giant step close to the Premier League title.

“Lukaku is not the final piece of Chelsea’s jigsaw, but he is a piece that puts them right in contention for the Premier League title this season,” stated Cole.

“Chelsea’s top scorer in the Premier League season last season was Jorginho with seven penalties. So it wasn’t hard to work out where they needed to improve.

“Despite that glaring problem, they still won the Champions League, got a top four finish in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final, so it shows the potential of that squad.

“Now they have that top-level striker who has a track record of scoring 20 goals a season.

“I had a long chat with Rio Ferdinand on air when I was doing the UEFA Super Cup game in Belfast. We came to the conclusion that Lukaku is unrecognisable from the player who left Chelsea to join Everton.

“He has become aggressive with everything he does. You watch him and seems to be desperate to score goals game after game, which wasn’t always the case.

“There were times in the past where he would have period of being untidy. But he has real aggression in his game now. And when he is 6’5” and built like a tank, that is a problem for any defender.”

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Cole fears Kane could win it for Man City

While Cole is convinced Chelsea will seal a top-two finish this season, he suggests Harry Kane has the potential to serve up a decisive blow in the title race.

City remain keen to sign him this summer and he reckons the prospective deal can be a game-changer.

“If City get Harry Kane in this transfer window, it would make them strong favourites to win the title again,” Cole added.

“We have see Lionel Messi coming in a Paris Saint-Germain this week and they are a frightening team now. But Man City with Kane up front would be hard to beat.

“What Chelsea have done by signing Lukaku is strengthened the one area of their team that was lacking. That’s why they now have a real chance to challenge City and aim for the title this season.

“I like so much of what I see from this Chelsea squad and in Thomas Tuchel. They have a manager who has barely put a foot wrong since he took over from Frank Lampard in January.”

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