Chelsea has signed England international Raheem Sterling from Manchester City for over $56 million, but will the 27-year-old left winger be able to shoot the London club to the title or Champions League glory? Sterling won the EPL title with Manchester City in the last two seasons, but he has not yet enjoyed Champions League success. Let’s take a look at Chelsea’s big summer signing and the attributes he will bring to the London club.
Struggling for goals
Chelsea finished in third place last season, but the London club ended up 18 points behind second-placed Liverpool and 19 points adrift of champions Manchester City. City also scored 23 more goals than Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge club’s lack of goals was exemplified by attacking midfielder Mason Mount topping the scoring charts for the Pensioners with just 11 goals.
There will be plenty of interest in Chelsea from the USA, as Sterling will be ably supported by United States men’s national soccer team midfielder Christian Pulisic. The EPL is hugely popular in the United States and Chelsea is capitalizing on this by basing their pre-season training camp in Los Angeles. With soccer proving so popular, it is no surprise to see a range of soccer-themed slots in the iGaming industry. By playing slot games such as Football Mania and Football Mania Deluxe you could win real money at an online casino. Evidently, the popularity of soccer around the world is reflected in the success of these soccer slot game titles.
Speed, strength and goalscoring ability
There will, however, be plenty of weight on Sterling’s shoulders as far as goals are concerned. Striker Romelu Lukaku, who has struggled since rejoining Chelsea, has returned to Inter Milan on loan and German forward Timo Werner has scored just 23 goals in 89 appearances in all competitions for the club.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel will be hoping that Sterling’s speed and goals will add an extra dimension to the club’s forward line. Tuchel, like his German compatriot Jürgen Klopp, is an advocate of a pressing game and Sterling’s speed of mind and goalscoring prowess will be ideally suited to this tactic. Sterling also possesses the strength to assert himself in the EPL despite his small stature.
The Jamaican-born England international will certainly be in a position to contribute to the club’s goals total. While he scored just 23 goals in 129 appearances for Liverpool, he flourished under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, where he gained a reputation as a goal threat with 131 goals in 337 games in all competitions. He has scored 19 goals in 77 international games for the Three Lions, where he plays an integral part in Gareth Southgate’s plans.
Raheem Sterling will certainly contribute much-needed goals for Chelsea, while his speed will increase the London club’s goals threat through Tuchel’s pressing game. However, Chelsea will have to show improvement in all areas in order to challenge the supremacy of the top two clubs in the EPL, Manchester City, who has signed Erling Haaland, and Liverpool, the second favorites to win the EPL.
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