Raheem Sterling's Manchester City future is in doubt as he enters the final 12 months of his contract, and Mirror sources understand that the England international is open to leaving the club.
The forward has attracted interest from several top European clubs, though the latest reports suggest it’s Chelsea leading the race to land his signature.
Sterling has been a key player for Pep Guardiola’s men since his arrival back in 2015 and secured his fourth Premier League title in May. However he struggled to maintain a consistent spot in City’s starting 11, and it’s thought the promise of more regular minutes could be decisive in any decision he makes on his future.
Chelsea could provide Sterling with a platform to play a more starring role, and his potential arrival could hand Thomas Tuchel’s attack a timely boost, especially with Romelu Lukaku edging towards a return to Inter Milan, and given rumours that any of Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner or Hakim Ziyech could be sold.
Sterling’s introduction could spark a change in the dynamic of the Chelsea attack next season. Tuchel already explored different formations when options were limited due to absences last season, using a 4-1-4-1, 4-2-2-2 and even 4-3-3.
The City man is well versed in the latter, and could easily forge himself roles in the other set-ups too. However it’s very possible Tuchel won’t see a need to move away from the 3-4-3 he most often prefers.
At times the formation has been criticised for lacking attacking potency and not getting the best from Chelsea’s front men. However, Lukaku was a big reason for that. Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Werner, Ziyech and Pulisic all share similar traits in being pretty versatile Chelsea attackers who can play different roles but Lukaku was different.
Trading him out and adding Sterling in could be just what Chelsea need to again thrive in that area of the pitch. The 27-year-old is probably best known for being a left-sided attacker, and this is most likely where he’d start, as highlighted below which is one of the ways we may see Chelsea line up if they land the key transfer targets like Sterling and also Sevilla’s Jules Kounde.
The beauty of Sterling is he's also comfortable playing through the middle, or on the right, as he did when he came off the bench to set up Ilkay Gundogan's crucial first goal in City’s memorable last-day comeback victory over Aston Villa.
That assist proved to be Sterling’s 17th Premier League goal contribution of season, which is an impressive return considering how often he was rotated in and out of Guardiola’s side. As a per 90 average, that broke down to an average of 0.67 goal contributions. Only Mount could better that return at Chelsea last season.
This measurable output perhaps best captures why the Blues are so keen on bringing Sterling to the club. While there are already similar profiles to him at Stamford Bridge, Sterling’s proven year on year that he can combine good all-round attacking play with crucial goals and assists on a consistent basis. That’s something some of the aforementioned Chelsea attackers haven’t been able to promise in the past.
Tuchel will be confident Sterling can seamlessly settle into his favoured 3-4-3 formation and simultaneously vitalise the Chelsea attack next season.
