Why Raheem Sterling will seriously upgrade Chelsea's attack

Suraj Radia

• 7 Jul 2022 19:20 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea may have found the solution to their attacking problems after they edged closer to the signing of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.

The 27-year-old has agreed personal terms ahead of a £55 million move and would represent an upgrade on their goalscoring options, particularly after the departure of Romelu Lukaku.

While Sterling has spent the majority of his career playing out wide, the England international may feature as a false nine under Thomas Tuchel due to his goalscoring ability.

With a lack of true world-class number nines available on the market, Chelsea have opted to sign a versatile forward with a proven Premier League record in a shrewd move to bolster their frontline.

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How does Sterling compare to Chelsea’s other attacking options?

On a simple goalscoring front, Sterling’s tally of 13 Premier League goals last season is more than any Chelsea player has managed the past two campaigns.

And, while Sterling tends to be known as a wasteful finisher, his conversion rate last season was amongst the highest in the league at 22.8%, while Lukaku was Chelsea’s best at 18.6%.

In fact, Sterling’s finishing has improved over the past few seasons despite scoring less goals and he had a ‘big chance conversion’ rate of 48% last year.

The ex-Liverpool star has benefitted from City’s free-flowing attacking football but he still had more touches in the opposition box than any Chelsea forward and the fifth-most of any Premier League player since 2016.

Crucially, Sterling does a lot of work off the ball and created more chances than Lukaku, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic while also being a more efficient and prolific finisher too.

A move to Chelsea would see him link up with England teammates Mason Mount and Reece James, both of whom have helped Sterling net 15 goals in his last 30 international caps.

Sterling’s ability to play all across the front line and contribute significantly to all phases of play makes him an ideal signing for Tuchel.

While he may once have been considered an inconsistent finisher and a fortunate beneficiary of City’s high-intensity attack, his development and impact as a reliable game-changer would bring a new level of quality to Chelsea’s offense.