After completing a £50 million transfer to Chelsea, Raheem Sterling became the second player this summer to leave Manchester City for one of their “big six” rivals. Sterling’s new team is Chelsea.
As a result of City’s transfer of Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal as well as the signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, the club will have a different look up front for the upcoming season.
After Romelu Lukaku was traded to Inter Milan, Chelsea will also have a new look because England striker Sterling will be joining the team. Lukaku’s departure was due to his move to Inter Milan.
The questions that remain are: what will Sterling’s legacy be at City, why is he leaving, and what will he offer to Thomas Tuchel’s side?
During Sterling’s time with the club, City won 12 of its 29 major trophies, including four of their eight league crowns, five of their eight League Cups, and one FA Cup. In total, City has won 29 major trophies throughout their existence.
Following his departure from Liverpool, he played a total of 339 games and recorded 131 goals and 74 assists over the course of seven seasons.
His contributions to Pep Guardiola’s managing career have been enormously significant, as he has appeared in more matches (292 to be exact) for the Catalan than any other player.
Among Guardiola’s players, only Lionel Messi (211) and Sergio Aguero (124) have scored more goals than Sterling’s 120. Additionally, he is third in assists with 66, trailing only Kevin de Bruyne (105) and Lionel Messi in that category (80).
According to Guardiola, who was the head coach during the previous season, “He has been an enormously essential player in all these seasons, with all of the goals and assists, and when he has confidence he’s a really, very vital player.”
Nevertheless, despite all of this, Sterling has not yet truly cemented himself as a legend in the eyes of City fans.
According to Simon Stone of BBC Sport, “Sterling has never been a crowd favourite, which is difficult to explain as he has now won more Premier League titles than any non-Manchester United player apart from John Terry and Fernandinho.” “Sterling has now won more Premier League titles than any non-Manchester United player except for John Terry and Fernandinho.”
“His form has been all over the place. At other times, he can be rather wasteful, and despite his best efforts, he continues to pass up opportunities in front of the net. He is inconsistent in his performance. However, he is still a threat when he has the ball at his feet, and it is possible that he has not yet reached his full potential.
“He might turn out to be one of those players whose time at City is appreciated more in the future than it was at the time it was spent there,” said the commentator.