Raheem Sterling signing for Chelsea has lifted the mood within Thomas Tuchel’s squad, with England teammate Mason Mount the latest to offer his glowing verdict.
Sterling, 27, linked up with his new Chelsea teammates this week and trained for the first time on Wednesday in Los Angeles, America after his £50 million transfer from Manchester City was confirmed.
He became the first signing of the summer for Thomas Tuchel, offering a much needed boost in attack, as well as becoming the first acquisition of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital era.
Sterling was Chelsea’s number one signing of the summer, a deal which head coach Thomas Tuchel was delighted to get over the line.
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"Raheem is new with us," said Tuchel ahead of training on Wednesday.
"A very warm welcome from all of us. We're very happy that you're here."
The 27-year-old will boost the quality of the Chelsea attack having come from the Premier League champions.
Mount hailed his new teammate and is hoping Sterling will be able to win lots of silverware in west London in the 2022/23 season and beyond.
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"A top, top guy. Such an experienced player, top class pro," Mount told Sky Sports when asked about Sterling.
"I've been lucky to play with him over the last couple of years with England where he's captained the team at times. He's someone who has been there for a very long time.
"He's a top player and I've learnt a lot off him over the last couple of years so for him to be joining us, he's only going to bring our levels higher.
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"He's definitely someone who strives for high levels to win and that's what we want. We want those players around this group, very excited for him to be here.
"We've lost a few that are leaders and he's coming in and will be someone that will lead, a big presence in the group, a big personality. Hopefully we can win some things together."
Mount was pleased Sterling decided to choose Chelsea amid interest from elsewhere, adding to the official Chelsea website: "It’s a massive plus for us that he has chosen Chelsea. Being back in London where he's from and close to his family, bringing his best football, that's exactly what we want.
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"It's very tough when you play against him. You can see by the numbers and what he's done in his career, especially from a young age, that he demands a lot from himself.
"That's someone that we want around this group and someone we want to come in. He's definitely going to add to us."
Topics: Mason Mount, Chelsea, Raheem Sterling
Matthew Debono