Sterling to Chelsea – A Good Move?
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Raheem Sterling has enjoyed a hugely successful career with Manchester City. The England international forward may not have won the Champions League during his time at the Etihad Stadium but he has won the Premier League title four times, the League Cup four times, and the FA Cup.
Sterling also won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for 2018/19 and the FWA Footballer of the Year in the same year.
Last season, Sterling scored 13 goals in the Premier League and created 6 goals for his teammates. In the Champions League he had a total of 5 goal involvements, so Sterling was a key player at times throughout the campaign for Pep Guardiola.
So, why has the Manchester City manager decided to sell Sterling to one of his major rivals in the Premier League?
Sterling has only one year remaining on his current deal with Manchester City. There was no hint of Sterling being unhappy at the Etihad Stadium or that he was going to turn down the offer of a new contract.
However, perhaps the hierarchy at the club have decided they want to use the funds that would be taken up by offering Sterling a new deal to invest elsewhere in the squad.
Since Guardiola’s arrival at Manchester City, no other player has had more goal involvements than Sterling. He has the most goals and assists combined, with Kevin De Bruyne in second place and Sterling leaves with 131 goals and 74 assists in 339 games across seven seasons. However, Sterling has never become an irreplaceable player in the Manchester City team.
When fit, De Bruyne, Ederson, Ruben Dias, and Rodri are always in the first-choice team but that has never been the case for Sterling, especially over the past two seasons.
Sterling has never become a huge fan favourite, despite the number of goals and assists he has for Manchester City. Inconsistency has been an issue in recent seasons and Sterling could be wasteful and miss good chances.
The signing of Erling Haaland means Manchester City will have a central striker this season and Phil Foden will spend more time playing out wide. Sterling only started 23 Premier League games last season and the addition of Haaland means that number would likely drop for the coming campaign.
As for Chelsea, they will be getting a proven Premier League player who can deliver goals and assists. You must go back to 2016/17 to find the last time a Chelsea player scored more goals than Sterling in the Premier League and all competitions.
With Romelu Lukaku leaving Chelsea for Inter Milan, Sterling will be expected to score goals and could play as a false 9 at Stamford Bridge.
Sterling recorded 8.93 touches in the box per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season, more than any current Chelsea player.
Sterling completed more dribbles than any current Chelsea forward and the England forward is clearly an upgrade on the players already at the club.
So, this is a move that is good for Chelsea and although Manchester City would prefer to sell to a team outside the Premier League, £50 million for a player with one year left on his contract is good business.
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