Raheem Sterling will become the second player this summer to leave Manchester City for one of their ‘Big Six’ rivals after agreeing personal terms with Chelsea.
Having also sold Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal and signed Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, City will look different up front this season.
Chelsea will also have a new look, with England striker Sterling coming in following Romelu Lukaku’s return to Inter Milan.
So what is Sterling’s legacy at City, why is he leaving and what will he bring to Thomas Tuchel’s side?
How will he be remembered at City?
City have won 29 major trophies in their history, 12 of them while Sterling was there – including four of their eight league titles, five of their eight League Cups and one FA Cup.
He leaves with 131 goals and 74 assists in 339 games in seven seasons since his move from Liverpool.
He was also a hugely important part of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career, playing more games (292) for the Catalan than anyone else.
Only Lionel Messi (211) and Sergio Aguero (124) have scored more goals for Guardiola than Sterling’s 120. He is also third in assists with 66, behind only Kevin de Bruyne (105) and Messi (80).
“He’s been an incredibly important player all these seasons, with all the goals and assists, and when he has confidence, he’s a really, really important player,” Guardiola said last season.
But despite this, Sterling never established himself as a legend in the eyes of City fans.
“Sterling has never been a crowd favourite, which is hard to explain as he has now won more Premier League titles than any player outside Manchester United apart from John Terry and Fernandinho,” said BBC Sport’s Simon Stone.
“His form was erratic. At times he looks really effective, at other times he can be quite wasteful and still miss chances in front of goal. Still, he remains dangerous with the ball at his feet and his best days may be ahead of him.
“He could be one of those players whose time at City is valued more in retrospect than it was at the time.”
Why are Man City releasing him?
‘He’s a generational talent’ – Why Haaland’s signing is huge for Manchester City
Sterling’s huge level of success at City begs the obvious question – why are they letting him leave for a potential title challenger?
There are two big factors. One is the fact that his contract expires next summer, so this was the last chance to cash in – and the other comes with the signing of Haaland.
City have often played without an orthodox striker in the past few seasons, with Aguero heavily injured and then leaving for Barcelona.
But the £51million signing of Borussia Dortmund striker Haaland, who has scored more than 150 goals at the age of 21, is sure to change all that.
Only nine of Sterling’s 47 games last season were in a central role, but Phil Foden – who was named at centre-forward 19 times – will occupy a wing position most of the time.
Sterling started just 23 Premier League games last season – and that was without Haaland at the club.
“City didn’t actively want him to leave and they would have been happy for him to stay,” added Stone. “But he also wanted to be an integral part of a team competing at the highest level. Pep would never guarantee that.
“Ideally they would sell to a club outside the Premier League. However, if Chelsea were willing to pay more than anyone else for a player who could leave for nothing in 12 months, financially, it makes sense.”
Where will he fit in at Chelsea?
Romelu Lukaku was Chelsea’s top scorer in all competitions last season with 15 goals, with Mason Mount top scorer in the league with 112021-22Romelu Lukaku: 15172020-21 Tammy Abraham/Timo Werner: 12142019-20 Tammy Abraham: 18312018-19Eden Hazard: 21252017-18 : 1723
One thing Chelsea will be getting is goals and assists, something they have been lacking despite their recent success.
The last time a Chelsea player scored more goals in a season than Sterling – both in the league and in all competitions – was Diego Costa in 2016-17.
“Given his goal-scoring abilities, Sterling could be seen as an upgrade on those already in place and fills the gap left by Lukaku,” said BBC Sport’s Alistair Magowan.
“It also presents a statement of intent from the new owners, who are understood to have ambitious plans in the transfer market.
“Crucially, he is the first signing Tuchel has made since he was given more powers under co-owner and interim sporting director Todd Boilley following the departures of technical and performance advisor Petr Cech and director Marina Granovskaya, who led the negotiations.”
Since 2017-18, the England striker has scored 110 goals and created a further 51 in all competitions for City.
Olivier Giroud (39) – now at Milan – and Eden Hazard (38) remain Chelsea’s top scorers in that time period. Hazard left Real Madrid three years ago. Willian, who left two years ago, is their top-scorer with 31.
Sterling could come in as a false nine, a system Chelsea boss Tuchel seems to prefer. Chelsea are even more likely to be without a suitable striker after sending last season’s top scorer Lukaku on loan to Inter Milan.
Last season, Sterling had more touches in the opposition box (8.93) per 90 minutes than any of the Chelsea strikers who remain at the club.
He also attempted and completed more dribbles than anyone in the Blues’ front line. Hakim Ziyech and Mason Mount played more passes than Sterling and – despite scoring more goals – Sterling took fewer shots than Ziyech, Timo Werner, Mount and Kai Havertz per 90 minutes.
Chelsea already have plenty of options in attack but need someone who both creates and scores goals regularly.
“Sterling’s arrival will lead to questions over the futures of wide forwards Werner, Christian Pulisic and Ziech,” Magowan said.
“They were all signings made before Tuchel was appointed midway through the 2020-21 season.
“With Sterling, extra pressure will be on Tuchel. The manager will need a goal back, but the success of the signing could also depend on Werner, Pulisic or Ziech leaving the club, which would avoid game-time disappointment and help balance the books under majority private ownership.”
Can you name those players who have moved between the big six clubs?
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