Raheem Sterling has admitted the Chelsea dressing room have been left speechless by their poor form this season and often “just sit in the changing room looking into space” after defeats.
Sterling, 28, became the first signing of the Todd Boehly era in a £50million deal back in July but has failed to emulate the goalscoring form that made him a regular in Manchester City's title-winning teams.
The England international has bagged just four Premier League goals this campaign having scored 78 league goals across the last five seasons he had in Manchester, hitting double figures in each of those years – but his personal struggles in front of goal have mirrored those of his Stamford Bridge teammates this campaign.
In January, the Blues signed Mykhaylo Mudryk, who arrived in a deal worth up to £87m, while they also completed the signing of PSV forward Noni Madueke alongside bringing Joao Felix in on a loan deal for the remainder of the campaign.
Boehly has spent just shy of £550million in transfer fees since taking charge at Stamford Bridge as his squad has been transformed. Indeed, 13 players have arrived at the club since Sterling was signed last summer but Chelsea are languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League and will finish the season trophyless.
“Sometimes you have lows,” Sterling admitted in an interview with The Sun. “I haven’t been in this situation in my career so far but I am more than up to the challenge.
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“We are disappointed when we come off the pitch and feel angry and disappointed. There are times when we finish a game you just sit in the changing room looking into space because you can’t understand what has just happened.”
Chelsea have had four different managers in the dugout this campaign, with Thomas Tuchel replaced by Graham Potter in September. Yet the former Brighton manager’s recent dismissal saw Bruno Saltor oversee first-team affairs for one game before Frank Lampard was appointed as interim boss.
Lampard became the club’s first manager to lose each of his opening four matches in the hotseat before his miserable time in the dugout continued this week as Brentford inflicted a fifth successive defeat for the Blues with a two-goal victory at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
However, Sterling insisted he has no regrets over leaving all-conquering City for the club, adding: “That’s the beautiful thing. I enjoyed my time at my previous club and won a lot of trophies. But I like a new challenge and this is the challenge I signed up for.
“It’s a challenge I will overcome. It will taste even sweeter to win silverware coming from a moment like this than if you were winning every single week.”
