The Arrival of Raheem Sterling Brings a New Line for Chelsea

DBasia.news – After Chelsea’s long wait, Tedd Boehly finally  managed to bring Raheem Sterling to Stamford Bridge.

Confirmed by transfer experts Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein at The Athletic, Manchester City have agreed to 45 million pounds plus 10 million pounds in bonuses for Sterling. Chelsea signed him until 2027 with an option to extend for a year.

“Raheem Sterling is heading to Chelsea, here we go! Final approval came from Man City. A fee of  45 million pounds plus an additional 10 million pounds. Personal terms were agreed a few days ago, it was never a problem. Done,” said Romano.

“Contract until 2027 plus an option to extend for a year. Tuchel has been in direct contact with him,” he added.

Thomas Tuchel who intervened to speak to the player also paid off. Chelsea also obtained  quality and experienced players. Plus they are still negotiating to sign England defender Nathan Ake from Man City.

Sterling (27 years old) has strengthened City for 7 years with a record 131 goals from 339 matches. The former Liverpool player has also won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three League Cups with Man City. One thing for certain is that his presence will bring a new dimension to Chelsea’s attack.

Judging from data from Squawka, Sterling is the owner of the most records with statistics for successful take-ons (dribbles past opponents) in the opponent’s penalty box in the Premier League since the 2017-2018 season.

Sterling had 82 take-ons followed by Mohamed Salah (74), Wilfried Zaha (60), Riyad Mahrez (50), Gabriel Jesus (47), Marcus Rashford (47) and Son Heung-min (45).

Man City had wanted Sterling to stay, but the competition for him was not easy after Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez arrived. Moreover, there are also Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, and Riyad Mahrez who play in his position.

In contrast to Man City, Sterling can become a main player in Chelsea’s front line as Tuchel really wants him. According to Standard Sports, Tuchel wants a striker who can play with high intensity, willing to work for the team and put pressure on opponents.

Sterling, who has developed with the tactical understanding of Brendan Rodgers and Pep Guardiola, is ideal for that. Especially with Guardiola, Sterling is a goalscorer, a creator of opportunities, and also a destroyer of the opponent’s defense.

Sterling has averaged 22 goals across all competitions in his last five seasons at City, scoring 17 in the last two. Meanwhile, Chelsea have not had a player who has scored more than 20 goals in all competitions since Eden Hazard in 2018-2019.