It is no secret Chelsea had the opportunity to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in the summer transfer window. Yet Thomas Tuchel wasn't interested. There were no doubts over the ageing Portuguese star's talent, nor his ability to perform in the Premier League. Ronaldo was simply not the right fit for the squad.
Tuchel had another priority target; one who had weeks earlier lifted the Premier League trophy for the fourth time. That was, of course, Raheem Sterling. Chelsea were able to get a deal done for the England international, who arrived from Manchester City in a deal worth around £50million.
Inserted as one of the highest earners in the squad at around £300,000-per-week – this was before the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital's change of approach to contracts – it was expected Sterling would establish himself as a dressing room leader and unlock the Chelsea attack.
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"He was the absolute number one for that position. I gave his name to Todd straight away," Tuchel explained during Chelsea's pre-season tour of the USA. "Every time we played against him, he was horrible to play against, horrible! The main point is his intensity and the amount of repetition of intensity that he delivers. This is simply outstanding over the last few years.
"It's not about his goalscoring last season or about his performance against us. It's eye-catching, of course, when he plays against you – he caused us huge trouble – but once you dig deeper into his data, beyond his goal involvements and into his high-speed intensity, over 30km-an-hour, the amount of repetitive intensity, it's outstanding.
"It's exactly what we need to raise the level of our players, that they understand what is needed. That's what we are so sure, and that's why it was like for us top of the list."
Sterling started slowly under Tuchel; there were no goals in his opening three games in a Chelsea shirt. But then he had a match-winning double against Leicester City and a goal in a frustrating defeat to Southampton at St Mary's. Two more appearances were made under the German coach, who was then unexpectedly sacked.
The arrival of Graham Potter as head coach led to Sterling's role being tweaked. He was used nominally as a wing-back and asked to keep out wide rather than attack the six-yard box, although he did score the first goal of the Potter era against Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League.
Just one goal followed in the next 11 matches - and the 28-year-old's confidence appeared to dip before he jetted off to the World Cup with England. He made three appearances at the tournament in Qatar but suffered the emotional distress of an attempted burglary at his family home. Understandably, Sterling flew back to the UK to check on his loved ones before heading back to Qatar for the quarter-final defeat to France.
Post-World Cup, Sterling scored away in a dismal draw at Nottingham Forest before suffering a hamstring injury against Man City at Stamford Bridge. It kept him out for almost a month and Potter has been careful to ease the England international back into the Chelsea side.
There was a half-hour cameo against Fulham – which was followed by Sterling missing both the away games against West Ham United and Borussia Dortmund – and then a 45-minute outing against Southampton at the weekend. The game has proved the lowest moment of Potter's tenure thus far, but Sterling was one of the few positives.
Used predominantly off the right, Sterling accepted the responsibility of trying to drag Chelsea level. He constantly took the ball under pressure and was able to wriggle away from defenders.
One such moment led to a clear opportunity for the winger, but his effort was blocked by Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Sterling had a better chance minutes later. He connected with a Havertz cross and got the ball beyond goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, but Romain Perraud was able to hack the ball clear off the line.
Sterling ended the game with 0.9 expected goals, per FBRef. The only occasion he has bettered that figure in a Chelsea shirt was against Leicester in August – and it was on that occasion he scored twice.
Chelsea need Sterling to build upon Saturday's encouraging outing in the games ahead. But more than that, they need him to guide the Blues out of their dismal form. He's the highest earner in the dressing room for a reason. It's time to be the leader Tuchel expected.
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