The news was well received in the Chelsea dressing room. Raheem Sterling has agreed a move to Stamford Bridge and his new team-mates are eagerly awaiting his arrival. They know what Chelsea will get from Sterling: a solid professional whose commitment can never be questioned, an intelligent leader highly motivated after leaving Manchester City, and a proven Premier League goalscorer who should make it easier for Thomas Tuchel to build more flexible and clinical attack.
There is no doubt that his signing will be an encouraging first step by Todd Boilley, Chelsea’s interim sporting director. The American may be new to the cutthroat world of recruitment, but no one can argue that he hasn’t been able to cope with Sterling.
There was no fuss once Tuchel set his sights on the 27-year-old. This deal makes sense for all involved and the speed at which negotiations are being carried out suggests that Boeli, who has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders following the departures of Marina Granovskaya and Petr Cech, is serious about giving Tuchel the tools to build a squad in his image.
In that context, Sterling looks good. Unlike Romelu Lukaku, who returned to Inter on loan last month, the England forward can press. Having played for Pep Guardiola for six years, he is suited to a modern system. And most importantly from Chelsea’s point of view, he knows how to put the ball in the net.
Then the last piece in the puzzle? Well, let’s not go down that road again. Lukaku’s £97.5m signing didn’t make Chelsea title contenders last season and they still have a few holes to fill, especially with a defense weakened by the departures of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.
There is a lot to see. Chelsea want to sign three centre-backs, with City’s Nathan Ake, Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt and Sevilla’s Jules Kunde high on their list and could make some midfield changes. N’Golo Kante, an unstoppable force at his best, is struggling to stay fit. Jorginho, whose contract expires next summer, is not strong enough in defence.
But while much uncertainty remains, bolstering the attack by buying sterling is a promising start. Chelsea’s title challenge last season slipped away due to their wastefulness. Eleven draws have left them off the pace and Tuchel made no secret of his displeasure with his strikers’ indiscipline after Chelsea were held at home by Leicester in May.
Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic are two of the Chelsea strikers who have failed to justify their high prices. Photo: Clive Rose/Pennsylvania
It is obvious why Tuchel’s patience ran out. With Mason Mount the only Chelsea player to hit double figures in the league last season, questions must be asked about Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz. Apart from Havertz, who has gone through spells when it looked like he was on his way to becoming one of the best players in the world, no one has come close to justifying their expensive fees. Werner is too inconsistent, Pulisic too unstable and Ziech, who could join Milan on loan, too inconsistent.
It’s a trio that scored 14 league goals between them last season. Sterling, who has reached double figures in the league in each of the last five seasons, has 13. His hunger for goals is immense. Sterling does not stick to the flank and is content with a few steps. He is always looking to get into goalscoring positions and while Guardiola left him out of many big games last season, he had a huge say in City’s league win on the final day, coming off the bench when they were 2-0 down at Aston Villa and sparks a comeback by crossing for Ilkay Gundogan, who heads home his side’s opener.
Chelsea need that decisive quality. Admittedly, it is intriguing that Tuchel appears to be moving towards an attack built around using Sterling or Havertz as a false 9, just as City make Erling Haaland their new number 9 and Uruguay striker Darwin Nunes joins Liverpool, but there is no clear an alternative for this summer. The top strikers are weak on the pitch and Tuchel, who is considering a switch from 3-4-3 to 4-3-3, needs flexibility.
The Chelsea boss has also given a lot of thought to signing a winger who can tie a full-back in knots. The hope remains that Leeds’ Rafinha, who favors a move to Barcelona, will eventually agree to play for Tuchel. The Brazilian had 14 goals last season and Chelsea’s attack would look much more exciting if the 25-year-old and Sterling were to join.
The impression is that these are players suitable to play for Tuchel, who is all about the team. It’s easy to see the appeal of signing Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain or making a bid for Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, but at what cost? Ronaldo brings the goals, but what will he do to the team’s form outside of possession? How will he affect the development of Havertz? How will he respond to Tuchel’s demands for effort off the ball?
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Tuchel’s first inspiration as a coach was Ralf Rangnick, who struggled to get to Ronaldo last season and it is said that he is not convinced he can gain much from betting on the United veteran now. For Boehly, this is a moment to forget about the commercial aspect and think about the team. Ronaldo may be flashy, but Sterling is a much more sensible signing. For Chelsea, this must be the way forward.
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