Former Chelsea star names Boehly's most disappointing transfer

James Shearman

• Updated: 29 May 2023 16:02 BST
• 3 min read

Former Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit has been most disappointed by the signing of Raheem Sterling in the 2022-23 season.

Sterling signed for the Blues from Manchester City last summer in a deal worth close to £50 million.

The England international scored over 100 goals at his former club and was expected to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge.

READ: Poch's first signing! New Chelsea boss APPROVES €60m hijack on former club

But he has not yet lived up to expectations, struggling for form in a poor Chelsea team that finished in the bottom half of the Premier League.

"Raheem Sterling is the Chelsea signing that has disappointed me the most," Petit told Genting Casino. "I don’t want to be too harsh on him and it’s hard to point fingers too much at players because it’s been a mess for at least a year.

"Since Todd Boehly has come in, he’s been splashing money on new players and fires two managers in a row. So I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for the players.

"But in the meantime, when you play for clubs like Chelsea there are big expectations and you have to raise your level mentally and physically. Some players have been very disappointing with the way they play and their attitude on the pitch sometimes.

"For me, Sterling stands out as the most disappointing. I’m a big fan of the player and person, but I have been disappointed with him."

Sterling at Chelsea

Sterling's debut campaign at Chelsea has been underwhelming, but to call him the most disappointing of the new signings is harsh.

The former Liverpool and Man City winger scored nine goals and contributed a further four assists in all competitions, despite a long spell on the sidelines through injury.

Those are not the world-class numbers that we have become accustomed to seeing in recent seasons, but Sterling has certainly offered more than a number of the Blues players this season.