A forerunner of Ronaldo or Neymar at Chelsea
Chelsea’s new owners are waiting for the team in the United States. There will be a tour in the homeland of the man who runs the club. Sterling is preparing to join Tuchel’s team. After Liverpool and Manchester City moves to the squad of another champion of England. The transfer was prepared in advance, but the deal is curious. Raheem is always a bit in the shadows. In England, he was the loudest talked about when he brought up the subject of racism. Sterling also had a moment of glory at Euro 2020. But a season at Manchester City convinced the player that it was time to switch from one strong team to another. But what does the transfer offer Chelsea? Let’s start with the minuses, and then move on to the pluses.
Transfer minuses
- love to play in stretches. Sterling’s performance is good. He had 13 goals and 5 assists in his last championship season, but the productive actions are collected in the series. Raheem can play cool for three or four games and then disappear. “Manchester City could afford that, winning without Sterling. “Chelsea need stable players, and the English winger, although he is 27 years old, is not always one of them. Next to insanely great matches he has toothless games.
- Lost competition at MC. Sterling has only played more than thirty games in a season in the APL at Manchester. And while he could be called a core player, he’s used to the rotation. Marez, Foden, Jesus and Grealish did not allow the experienced Englishman to always take the field. You cannot make a false forward out of Raheem, even Bernardo Silva understands this role better. The Portuguese used to appear on the edge of attack, Sterling got used to being insured every season. And it affects the manner of the game – then it’s thick, then it’s empty.
- The ability to find conflict. There was a story when Sterling accused London club fans of racism. A grandfather among the perennial Chelsea fans foully called the player a “black”. Although witnesses and the fan himself denied that the phrase was racist, lip-reading experts found the remarks that led to a lifetime ban for Grandpa. I wonder how Chelsea fans will feel about the rookie? Sure, Sterling wasn’t hurting the club, but he was pissing the fans off. Raheem had similar complaints to journalists. He reproached us for double standards in evaluating players of different races. He also suggested that clubs should be stripped of nine points in the APL for racism in the stands. Not the smartest initiative, as it’s enough to bribe some fan in debt to kill a rival.
The pros of the transfer are
- An experienced player for adequate money. Sterling cost Chelsea £45m, with another ten that might have to be paid in bonuses. Normal value considering the insane prices of English players. Tuchel has Haverz, Werner, Pulisic, Hudson-Odoi and Mount in his attack. Sterling, unlike his new colleagues, has not won the Champions League. But the Liverpool pupil has been performing at a high level for ten years. If Mount has to prove he’s not a one-season player, Raheem did it long ago. The coach’s confidence could send him to Chelsea’s core.
- Footballer at Tuchel’s request. Ziesch is likely to leave for Milan, as Sterling and Mount will close out the insider positions in a 3-4-2-1 scheme. Or Raheem will be an extreme striker if the Londoners start playing a 4-3-3. It is said that Thomas was not against the signing of Neymar – doubted by the new owners of the club, and wary of the idea of inviting Ronaldo. And Sterling was led for a long time. The player is happy with the conditions – they offered one of the highest salaries at the club. It’s funny that Raheem is getting ready for the Ballon d’Or, which he will get in a year, only if he personally wins England the World Cup in 2022. But that’s to the question of character. Sterling loves and appreciates himself, he always has.
- Knows how to complement his teammates. That’s something you can’t take away from the guys working under Guardiola – they play for the team. Sterling has become quite a versatile player. You can question the rightness of Josep’s plan, who invited for huge money Grillisch – a lover of boozing and drinking, but lets Sterling, who is more professional than Jack. But there is no doubt that Raheem Sterling is capable of spotting Mount and Havertz. Can complement the game at least Neymar, at least Ronaldo, if Cristiano, who skips training at MJ, decides to move to the Chelsea squad.
Sterling is a decent rookie, but doesn’t solve the problem
Tuchel is in trouble in defense since Christensen, Rüdiger, Alonso and Aspilicueta all leave together. We remember that there are young Englishmen on the flanks, but in the center Tiago Silva and Chalobah urgently need helpers. And Chelsea’s main problem is the center of the attack. Lukaku hasn’t played as well as Werner before that. Sterling is not a penalty forward, although Raheem has a personal record of 20 goals in the APL three seasons ago. But he hasn’t played as effectively after that again.
The newcomer will not provide Tuchel with a total advantage. Rather, he will also fall into the rotation. Havertz won’t necessarily be a false nine. And the arrival of either Neymar or Ronaldo – the new owners need a figure to promote Chelsea with renewed vigor – will shift the focus from the Englishman to the Brazilian or Portuguese. The London club knows how to make competent transfers – Mendy and Kante are examples, but at the same time there have been enough misses. And we also see players in no hurry to stay. Kante may leave in a year if not now. Georginho was thinking of returning to Italy. Rüdiger is already at Real Madrid and Lukaku has returned to Milan.
Raheem is a decent transfer. The legs of the deal grow out of a personnel overkill, a need to make money for Manchester City. The ghost sponsors associated with the UAE will attract the attention of UEFA sooner or later. Chelsea will not have a similar problem, because the British government has ruled that the money lent to the club by Abramovich will not be returned. And the billionaire has legally agreed to such terms. But the new owners of Chelsea have promised to find money for the status newcomers, now the first step is taken. Without bonuses, Sterling is worth about the same as Ziyesh, but Hakim is lower in class, despite his magical diagonal passes.
Raheem is the breed of tough player who only deserves a place in the pantheon under certain circumstances. Certainly not Eric Cantona, with whom Marseille and Leeds won championships, and with whom MU broke a twenty-six-year streak without a title. But one could consider Raheem as useful to the ambitious Tuchel as the insufferable Neymar would have been. “Chelsea do not yet know clearly what they want and where they are going – they are grabbing names, de Ligt and Ronaldo could come after Sterling, and before that they were wedging against Lewandowski. But the base will be strong, because the coach decides. Tuchel has been promised that he will select the players, so the experienced Sterling is his candidate.
