Chelsea fans finally look set to see Raheem Sterling approaching his very best. The £47.5million move agreed between Chelsea and Manchester City for the transfer of Sterling looked to be a stroke of genius from Todd Boehly, but injuries have greatly impacted his first six months in west London.
Without Silva and Cesar Azpiliceuta, a number of first-team stars have had to step up in the absence of two leaders. Mateo Kovacic has been the player given the armband, while Sterling has also had to make an impact in the big moments.
Sterling’s involvement in the final third has not gone unnoticed by Ben Chilwell, but his fellow national teammate believes he has one quality that is extremely useful to Chelsea.
Ben Chilwell said: “He’s a brilliant football player, so on the pitch we all kind of knew what we were getting. We knew he was going to impact our team with a lot of goalscoring opportunities, with goals and assists. Even though he’s still young, he’s very experienced, he’s played a lot of international football, he’s played a lot of club games in the Premier League.He’s brought a lot of experience, which he’s using to help people across the team, especially the younger players. He’s a good addition to the group in terms of his playing style and how he wants to affect the game. And then in the changing room as well, he’s brilliant.”
Chelsea have acquired a significant number of younger players since Sterling’s arrival, with two in his position alone. Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke have struggled for minutes since the duo signed for the club in January, but Sterling will undoubtedly be helping them settle into the team and make them better Premier League wingers, from the perspective of someone who has won that crown four times.
