Harry Watkinson
Why Raheem Sterling is a HUGE signing for Chelsea
The serial trophy winner and in general top-quality player Raheem Sterling is now expected to join Chelsea in one of the biggest transfers of the summer so far.
We have taken a look at the stats from his last three seasons to show what he can offer to his new club ahead of the £45million move going through.
If you’re a Chelsea fan, you have reason to be very excited as the 27-year-old could be the difference as the Blues look to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool.
2019-20:
Played: 42
Key passes per game: 1.5
Pass success rate: 82.8%
Shots per game: 3
Assists: 4
Goals: 26
Goal contributions per game: 0.71
Raheem Sterling is one of those players you simply can’t take your eyes off. He is incredibly quick, has great ability running with the ball at his feet and scores plenty of goals too, especially for someone who generally plays as a winger. He has done this for both club and country throughout his career.
The 2019-20 campaign was one of his best, where he showed how prolific he can be in front of goal. In 42 appearances across all competitions, he netted 26 times, scoring an average of 0.62 goals per match, making it statistically the best season of his career.
These are the kinds of figures expected of a top-quality striker, never mind a winger: showing how valuable he was for City, in a season where he started the majority of the games he was available for. Sterling was also very consistent too, averaging a 7.35 match rating.
He missed out on the Premier League title after his former club Liverpool had a barnstorming 99-point season, but he did score over 20% of City’s goals, so he can be more than proud of his efforts.
Sterling played both on the right and the left as well as a couple of games as a striker, so he displayed his versatility which was no doubt a key reason for Thomas Tuchel deciding to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
He was in Pep Guardiola’s starting 11 for most of the 2019-20 season, which shows his effectiveness when he plays more minutes. Surely, this will be the case at Chelsea in the coming campaign.
2020-21:
Played: 42
Key passes per game: 1.3
Pass success rate: 86.2%
Shots per game: 2.3
Assists: 9
Goals: 11
Goal contributions per game: 0.48
Sterling had another great season in 2020-21. While his goals decreased considerably to 11 goals in all competitions, he increased his amount of assists to nine. He also remained a consistently good performer for the Citizens, with an average match rating of 7.22.
He was vital for Guardiola in a season that saw City lift the Premier League title. However, he did have to face the heartbreak of losing the Champions League final where despite playing 77 minutes, he failed to convert any chances against (ironically) Chelsea.
In this season, Sterling’s pass success rate increased to 86.2%, and he made 1.3 key passes per game, showing that he is capable of being an effective playmaker as well as a scorer. As well as this, he made an average of 0.48 goal contributions per game which I’m sure Thomas Tuchel would be happy with if he could replicate those figures for Chelsea.
2021-22:
Played: 40
Key passes per game: 1.4
Pass success rate: 85.4%
Shots per game: 1.9
Assists: 7
Goals: 16
Goal contributions per game: 0.58
Finally, last season, Sterling played extremely well yet again… making it even more surprising that he is leaving the Etihad.
He made 0.58 goal contributions per game on average, with 16 goals and seven assists in all competitions, despite playing 15% fewer games than the previous campaign. Overall, he achieved an average match rating of 7.20.
He was again a threat as a playmaker, making 1.4 key passes per appearance with an 85.4% pass success rate. It’s evident that Sterling very rarely gives the ball away and whenever he has the ball in the final third, he has the quality to create or score a goal out of nowhere.
City ultimately won the league by one point, in which Sterling played a big role. Overall, in his time at City, he won four Premier League titles, an FA Cup, four League Cups and a Champions League runner-up medal. This experience and appetite for success will undoubtedly be an asset for Chelsea in the changing room, as well as on the pitch.
Read more: Where it went wrong for Romelu Lukaku at Chelsea
How does he fit into Thomas Tuchel’s plans?
The Chelsea boss generally opted for a 5-3-2 formation last season, but given their ongoing business in the transfer market, for example, the signing of Sterling, the interest in Raphinha and the departure of two key centre-backs in Rudiger and Christensen, this may suggest that Chelsea could switch to a 4-3-3 formation, similar to one utilised by Liverpool and Manchester City.
If that proves to be the case, that should make the transition to his new club easier. His ability to score goals from the wide positions will also be vital if Chelsea do want to push for a league title.
He will face competition from the likes of Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, but given Sterling's quality, one would assume he will be one of the first names on the team sheet.
Another thing worth mentioning is Sterling’s injury record. Since 2012, he has only missed 46 games due to injury. The 27-year-old has never really had one of those injuries that keep coming back to haunt him as many wingers do. The fact that he will most likely be fit for the whole season for Chelsea must have been another reason to pay the big bucks for him.
Statistically, Raheem Sterling has the potential to be one of Chelsea’s biggest signings of the last decade.
