After a long seven-year spell Manchester City have finally let their talisman Raheem Sterling join Chelsea for a five-year deal and a fee of €45 million. Chelsea made their first big signing of the season after letting their defender Antoine Rudiger join Real Madrid on a permanent transfer.
Raheem Sterling can be the perfect player to replace the Belgian Romelu Lukaku and act as a catalyst to the attacking force of Tuchel’s tactics. 3-4-3 provides a variety of angles and lanes for the attacker and wingers to create the much-needed open spaces and penetrate through the opponent’s defensive half. Sterling is gifted with a combination of well-timed runs and speed that a very few defenders can match. Sterling is just as comfortable receiving to feet and taking his opponent on.
Sterling’s ability to effectively counter-press has also improved. Sterling’s greatest strength is the pressure he applies on the defenders while the ball is at his feet. You can easily witness Sterling in the crowd due to the insane pace which is completely unmatched. He might not have the greatest finishing ability that Vardy, Kane or Ronaldo has but the movement is very much comparable with the best of the best out there.
In his former club Manchester City he was more like a second striker than a winger. Tuchel’s attacking nature on the break can be beneficial for the attacking wingbacks by the likes of Chilwell and James who can create the pressure right from the back and find Sterling inside the box to comfortably put the ball in the back of the net without any arduous work and tension of missing. Havertz and Sterling linkup is a much-awaited event for the fans and the team as well.
Another brilliant quality possessed by him is that he is so in sync with his teammates that he knows when to march towards the goal as well as to compose himself during the time when the pressure is being applied on them. We all got a glimpse of it in the 2019 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Quarter Finals against Spurs when a last-minute goal was however ruled out, preventing him from completing his much-deserved hattrick and most importantly in the future in the competition. The last-minute goal was brilliantly orchestrated by Sterling but nothing more unfortunate could have occurred at that moment and see their team getting knocked out. This kind of attitude is a steal deal for Chelsea. This will be pivotal in Tuchel’s squad as the team is looking for a better season which is about to begin within a month.
In April 2015, BBC Sport columnist Phil McNulty wrote that Sterling was “very good with the potential to be outstanding” but remained a “work in progress” due to inconsistent performances. Gradually the conversion rate as well as the playing style evolved and made him a better player in his designated position. Even the former Barcelona midfielder has commented that Sterling should be a part of the La Liga and dominate here.
Raheem Sterling has agreed personal terms with Chelsea and they hope to conclude a deal with Man City in the next 24 hours, reports @TelegraphSport pic.twitter.com/UPEVL5tFNu
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 6, 2022
This move to Chelsea will not only benefit the team but also benefit his relationship and coordination with his national team teammates Mason Mount and Reece James. Sterling’s enthralling versatile nature will once again prove to be effective for the German maestro Thomas Tuchel to confuse his opponents by playing Sterling on either of the two flanks or playing him as a false nine. After Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi, it is Raheem Sterling who has scored the most number of goals for Pep Guardiola.
He has now become the first signing of the Todd Boehly era at Chelsea and looks forward to winning the much-awaited sixth Premier League title for the Stamford Bridge side.
