In Focus: Blues bank on Sterling after Lukaku flop

Raheem Sterling has started a new chapter at Chelsea — and the Blues are banking on him hitting the goal trail. 

The England star arrives in West London with plenty of pedigree, having won 10 major honours in seven seasons at Manchester City, scoring 131 times in the process. 

Supporters at Stamford Bridge will hope that Sterling fares better than their last high-profile attacking addition, with Romelu Lukaku failing to justify his £97.5million price tag before being loaned back to Inter Milan last month. 

As Chelsea continue their pre-season preparations in the USA, we take a look at what Thomas Tuchel's new signing will add to the club.

Goals galore

Sterling's 13 Premier League strikes may have only been enough to see him rank 10th in the Golden Boot race last season — but he played just 2,127 minutes of a possible 3,420. 

Additionally, the ex-Citizens forward can count himself unfortunate to be on the wrong end of some exceptional goalkeeping. 

Only Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son registered a higher expected goals on target value than his 14.69.

The 27-year-old's outstanding movement into dangerous areas is what makes him such a threat. 

He was on the receiving end of 25 big chances last term — scoring 12 of those — and even managed the joint-fourth highest number of headed goals (three) in the competition despite standing at just 5ft 7in.

Dynamic dribbling

Famous for his searing pace, Sterling uses it with regularity to dribble past his marker. 

Chelsea's new star attempted 112 take-ons last season, completing 53. With the potential for a greater number of starts this term, he is likely to rank among the most prolific dribblers in the league.

Irrepressible intensity

Tuchel has explained that a trait he prizes in Sterling is his intensity — which is unsurprising, given the 77-cap international's impressive record of 26 possessions won in the attacking third during the previous league campaign. 

He said: "He [Sterling] was the absolute No1 for that position. I gave his name to Todd [Boehly] straight away. 

"Every time we played against him, he's 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. 

"He caused huge trouble when he played against us and once you dig in deeper into his data and not only statistics in his goal involvements, it's outstanding. 

"It's exactly what we need to raise the level of our players. That's why we are so sure and that's why he was, for us, top of the list."

Creative contribution

Chelsea's summer signing can further raise the level of the squad by creating chances for his team-mates. 

Sterling's link-up play is, at times, an underrated aspect of his game — demonstrated by the respectable five assists he managed in the Premier League last term. 

He is far from a selfish poacher and often looks to pick out a colleague in the final third, which will hopefully knit Chelsea's frontline together over the months ahead.

Versatility

Tuchel is blessed with several ways in which he can use his latest attacking recruit. 

Over the course of his career, Sterling has played the majority of his football on the left wing, cutting inside to pass or shoot on his favoured right foot. 

However, the Three Lions regular has also played as a more traditional winger on the right flank and even through the centre at times. 

Depending on whether Tuchel persists with his back three or switches to a four-man defence, Blues fans may see Sterling on either wing or even up front — likely as part of a two-man pairing in a 3-5-2. 

It is a good problem for the German head coach to have — and Sterling is certainly an exciting acquisition for the Stamford Bridge faithful, wherever he is deployed.