Winners and losers from Raheem Sterling’s Chelsea transfer
FT Desk
- 13 Jul 2022 17:13 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea have completed the signing of Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling.
The England international has joined on a five-year contract, with Chelsea paying €56 million.
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So who are the winners and losers of this transfer?
WINNER: Erling Haaland
Raheem Sterling is a fantastic footballer and also a fantastic creative player but he can sometimes hold onto the ball too long before using it.
This is not the ideal characteristic for a player alongside Erling Haaland, who prefers to be released quickly – whether that be from a pass or cross.
Add an extra five goals to Haaland’s tally next season now!
WINNER: Jack Grealish
Jack Grealish was signed for a British record fee in the summer of 2021, but proved to be a huge disappointment in his first season for Man City.
The 26-year-old scored just three Premier League goals all season and had just three assists.
The sale of Sterling – along with Gabriel Jesus – will move Grealish up the pecking order, certainly when it comes to the attacking left midfield role.
It’s now up to Grealish to prove himself.
WINNER: Chelsea’s penalty count
Chelsea already had the joint-most penalties in the Premier League in 2021-22 with nine spot-kicks.
Interestingly, they shared top spot with Manchester City but in 2022-23 it would be a good bet for Chelsea to be up there on their own.
That’s because no one wins more penalties than Sterling. The Englishman has earned more spot-kicks than any player in the history of the Premier League.
LOSER: Barcelona
Barcelona are awash with money once again after they secured a €200m-plus cash injection.
This will enable them to spend heavily in the transfer market this summer and they have already signed Raphinha. Another of their primary targets is Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva.
However, the chances of City sanctioning the sale of Bernardo after losing both Sterling and Jesus appear very slim.
The exit of Sterling may have robbed Barca of the chance of getting their dream midfielder.
LOSER: Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic was meant to become the first true American soccer superstar in the Premier League when he joined Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund three years ago.
However, the attacking midfielder has never quite made the grade at Chelsea and he has fallen down the pecking order under Tuchel.
Pulisic has become increasingly frustrated at his status and the signing of Sterling could be the final nail in his Chelsea coffin. A summer transfer for Pulisic is now a possibility.
LOSER: Net spend moaners
Manchester City have made over €100m on Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling - two players whose contracts expire in 2023 and whom are surplus to requirements.
This is incredible business when one also considers that City only paid €60m for one of the best forwards in world football in Erling Haaland. They also spent less than €20m on one of the best young attackers in the world in Julian Alvarez.
City upgraded and made a profit. Fantastic business and a blow to the net spend moaners!
