How Does Raheem Sterling Fit In At Chelsea? | Explained

Is there a player who divides opinion amongst Premier League fans as much as Raheem Sterling? Taken on their own, his stats belong among the elite; 154 career goals in 468 appearances for Manchester City and Liverpool – almost 1 in every 3 games. But with Sterling, numbers have never been enough to safeguard his reputation.

From poor finishing, to diving, to the outright sinister, there are several common jibes about the English forward that do the rounds on social media and beyond. Not everyone is convinced.

Now, Sterling’s true value is set to be debated once more with Chelsea all but confirming a £45m move for the forward. Considering the Blues are a direct rival to Manchester City, and Sterling is still only 27, their willingness to let him go so easily is only playing into the hands of his biggest critics.

With that in mind, in our latest Football Daily Explained we ask the question; Is Sterling simply not elite, or are Chelsea gaining one of the most underappreciated forwards in English top flight history? And, more importantly, how will he fit into Thomas Tuchel’s system? Lets find out..

This is Football Daily - the home of Premier League fan analysis on YouTube. On this channel you'll find Sunday Vibes, Top 10s, Explained, Transfer Talk, Unfiltered, Winners&Losers and much more. If you love football as much as us then don't forget to subscribe!

[Klapslol]

The fact that sterling got much less minutes because of rotation last season and still had more G/A than any chelsea player is incredible, I’m excited for him to join us

[slovell]

would say sterling is englands 2nd best player after kane. he had the 2nd most goal involvements in 2019 behind messi. i find it crazy how a player has 1 bad year and everyone says theyre washed now (like mane a few years ago). one thing thats also a plus for sterling is that he is great on either wing, which many wingers cant do now.

[unbiasedusaliverpoolsuppor]

Shoutout to Raheem. He is the textbook definition of a underrated/under appreciated player… Sad thing is a small percentage of people will continue to shit all over him with stuff like “he can’t finish” even tho the stats shows his finishing is on par with salah… sterling slander is so silly, It’s similar to how people use to call salah a one season wonder, like really? How can you continue to have such bad opinions that the stats, facts & logic disprove…

[HayKay_]

We all know Sterling combines all the individual qualities of Timo, Pulisic, Cho and even more. He is definitely an upgrade.

Timo can run, but cannot shoot, dribble, pass, score and struggle with his first touch. But he is not injury prone.

Cho can run, slightly better than Timo in 1 v 1, but he can't convert and struggles with injury.

Pulisic is good in 1 v 1, can create, scores once in a while. But he is injury prone and inconsistent.

[sympa_is_misanthropic]

Bro is literally world class
There’s just no pleasing some people
I expect him to make Chelsea better no matter what 👍🏾

[jahjaireashbourne]

Ronaldo, De Jong and a Quality CB and another UCL in the bag... Sterling will gain respect after winning his first UCL with Chelsea

[MickeyKraut]

Sterling is a fantastic player... but with the depth at the wings that City have, and the arrival of Haaland, they are better suited letting go and cashing in on Sterling rather than taking their chances later. Jesus wouldn't have had nearly the minutes he has in seasons past, and would only bottleneck the minutes down the left when Haaland isn't getting rested. With Sterling being the oldest of the remaining stable of wingers that regularly play down the left, it makes the most sense to sell him and clear more playing time for Grealish and Foden as well as opening the door to more opportunities for younger players from the academy and under 23s to get appearances with the senior squad. Chelsea gain a versatile forward that is a proven commodity and definite upgrade over the production they've had the past couple seasons. His national team experience alongside Mount, James, Chillwell, and Gallagher will help with him integrating into the squad's chemistry on the pitch, and he'll still have a high degree of quality behind him in the build up. I think he'll do well at Stamford Bridge and be a very solid addition for the Blues.

[tatsuyasigh]

Sterling is definitely an upgrade from CHO, Werner or Pulisic. He seems to be on the decline though, that's my only worry. Hopefully his reduced minutes is more due to the brutal competitive nature of City's loaded squad than his own decline

[Speedleking]

I think you need to look at the panic he causes the opposition defenders and the attention they pay him, especially on the international stage. His game has always been about more than goals and assists.

[chuggins]

Even know Raheem Sterling didn’t have the best season with Man City last season, I still think he is still one of the top 10 best wingers in the world. And I would take him at Man Utd any day!🙌🏻

[bisoelvantaad]

I'm a Chelsea fan and really excited that he's joining. One thing I always remember of him is his bizarre style when running 😁

[benmahon]

you have opened my eyes on sterling fair play clearly heavily underrated

[chidubemnwaohiri]

Sterling has never been appreciated...
I respect him because he has proven himself for a winger...
Chelsea are getting a really Great player..
He will succeed.

[Eltuong]

Sterling is a quality player who i think will improve chelsea. His awareness, speed and dribbling ability gets him into really dangerous postions. Yes he consistently scores goals. But his decision making in crucial moments do have me concerned. Making up his mind to shoot and miss or a wayward/ late pass to a team mate. City create more chances to attack due to being so dominate so those opportunities will be even more precious at chelsea. Being a chelsea forward has huge amounts of pressure too and few have been able to hack it

[Kwam-ER]

Very under rated player who is a hard working playing machine giving his all whenever on the pitch. Raheem will adjust easily to Chelsea's system. His speed and pestiness are devastating. Raheem is the king of tap ins and will be there to clean up some of the misses. I am more excited about Raheem than I was about Romelu.

[jlalruatfela]

18 G/A in 30 matches last season was a decline for Sterling in some people's eyes. His stats was still great tbf. That how great of a talent Sterling really is!

[pedroazevedo]

I refute the criticism of Sterling scoring closer to the goal! It should be praised, as it means he has the movement, awareness and speed to get into those positions. And I am not a big fan of him, by the way.

[GeliCarlosJ]

He's a helluva player who went unappreciated because of the quality of his teammates and a few high profile misses in big games. Only thing i really dislike about him is his diving but then again Kane and Grealish dive like bitches who got shot by a sniper too so its not like he's alone there. 😂

He does have a weird running motion tho which i also always found hilarious

[Lord_OTD]

Sterling is prolific.
He’s gonna do great.
Welcome back to London Bruv 💙

[sb]

Sterling is a balance upgrade in terms of experience and quality. An upgrade to Pulisic or CHO.

You know what's exciting? If Sterling can bring the best in Werner