What Raheem Sterling Brings To Chelsea After Thomas Tuchel Lands Number One Target

Thomas Tuchel believes Raheem Sterling will offer Chelsea flexibility in the attack after the Blues managed to land their number one signing of the summer. 

The 27-year-old’s arrival was confirmed on Wednesday which saw him pen a five-year contract at Chelsea, in a deal worth up to £50 million, which will see him earn in excess of £300,000-a-week. 

Sterling joins from Manchester City to bolster the attacking options, which has seen head coach Thomas Tuchel already lose, willingly, Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan. 

Sterling joined up with the squad out in Los Angeles for their pre-season tour in the United States before he was unveiled by the club. 

He met his new teammates for the first time, but also Tuchel, the man who will now be managing him after seven years at Manchester City and most recently under the guidance of Pep Guardiola. 

Tuchel was delighted to get his hands on the England international as Chelsea took advantage of his contract situation that left Sterling with just one year left on his deal in Manchester. 

The Chelsea boss was “very excited and super happy” and outlined what Sterling could bring to the Blues for next season and beyond.

Speaking to Sky Sports on the new arrival, Tuchel said: "It was the number one priority and we are very excited and super happy that we could make it happen," said Tuchel.

"He's a big improvement to our squad and is exactly what we were looking for in terms of age, experience, and style of play.

"Once the players arrive these days in a situation where they only have one year (left on their) contract, there's always room for negotiation and possibility. We went for it. We could convince him very quickly. He was convinced, he did everything that was needed to do, we gave our best to make it happen. It's a perfect fit.

"He gives us a lot of flexibility, mobility and attacking options at the front."

Tuchel was full of praise for Sterling’s quality and believes it was a signing that Chelsea needed to close the gap and reach the benchmark of Premier League title winning standards. 

When talking to BBC Sport, he added: "Hopefully he shapes our team by just being who he is.

"He will be a huge asset for us."

“For me, he is a huge player, with a huge influence in the last years in English football and he's in a perfect age to now take responsibility around young players that we have and be an example.

"Getting what he delivered for years given his age, his hunger for responsibility, and his style of play and his amount of intensity is outstanding.

"It is the benchmark in the Premier League and is exactly what we need."