There is no doubt that signing him would be an encouraging first step by Todd Boehly, Chelsea’s interim sporting director. The American may be new to the cutthroat world of recruitment, but no one could argue that he failed to deliver for Sterling. There was no chaos after Tuchel set his sights on the 27-year-old. This deal makes sense for all involved and the speed with which negotiations have been carried out suggests that Boehly, who has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders following the departures of Marina Granovskaia and Petr Cech, is serious about giving Tuchel the tools to build a team. in his image. In this context, Sterling looks good. Unlike Romelu Lukaku, who returned to Internazionale on loan last month, the England forward can push. After playing for Pep Guardiola for six years, a modern system suits him. And, most importantly for Chelsea, he knows how to put the ball in the back of the net. The final piece in the jigsaw, then? Well, let’s not go down that road again. Lukaku’s £97.5m signing didn’t turn Chelsea into title contenders last season and they still have plenty of holes to fill, particularly with their defense weakened by the departures of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rüdiger. There are many to mention. Chelsea are keen to sign three centre-backs, with City’s Nathan Aké, Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt and Sevilla’s Jules Koundé high on the list, and could make some changes in midfield. N’Golo Kanté, an unstoppable force at his best, has struggled to stay fit. Jorginho, out of contract next summer, is not strong enough defensively. But while there is plenty of uncertainty, stepping up the attack with the sterling market is a promising start. Last season, Chelsea’s title challenge unraveled due to their wastefulness. Eleven draws have left them off the pace and Tuchel made no secret of his displeasure at his strikers not being fired after Chelsea were held at home by Leicester in May. Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic are two of the Chelsea strikers who have failed to live up to their hefty price tags. Photo: Clive Rose/PA It is obvious why Tuchel ran out of patience. With Mason Mount the only Chelsea player to hit double figures in the league last season, questions must be asked about Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz. Apart from Havertz, who has had spells when he looks to be on course to become one of the best players in the world, none have come close to justifying their expensive fees. Werner is very erratic, Pulisic very erratic and Žižek, who could join Milan on loan, very inconsistent. This is a trio that scored 14 goals in the league last season. Sterling, who has reached double figures in the league in each of the last five seasons, got 13. His hunger for goals is huge. Sterling does not stay on the sidelines and is content with a few steps. He is always looking to lead into goalscoring positions and, while Guardiola left him out of many big games last season, he had a huge say in City’s league win on the final day, coming off the bench when 2-0 down. at Aston Villa and sparking the return of the cross for Ilkay Gundogan to head home his side’s first goal. Chelsea need that defining quality. Admittedly, it is interesting that Tuchel appears to be moving towards an attack based around using Sterling or Havertz as a false 9, as City make Erling Haaland their new No 9 and Uruguay striker Darwin Núñez joins Liverpool , but there is no clear alternative. summer. Top strikers are thin on the ground and Tuchel, who has considered switching from 3-4-3 to 4-3-3, needs flexibility. The Chelsea manager has also put a lot of thought into signing a winger who can match a full-back. The hope remains that Leeds’ Rafinha, who is in favor of a move to Barcelona, will eventually agree to play for Tuchel. The Brazilian was involved in 14 goals last season and Chelsea’s attack would look a lot more exciting if the 25-year-old and Sterling joined together. The impression is that these are players who are suited to play for Tuchel, who has everything to do with the club. It’s easy to see the appeal of Paris Saint-Germain signing Neymar or Manchester United making a bid for Cristiano Ronaldo, but at what cost? Ronaldo scores goals, but what will he do to the team’s formation out of possession? How will it affect Havertz’s development? How will he react to Tuchel’s demands for an off-ball effort? The Fiver: sign up and receive our daily football email. Tuchel’s first inspiration as a manager was Ralf Rangnick, who struggled to get to Ronaldo last season, and word is that he is not convinced he can get much out of gambling on the United veteran now. For Boehly, this is a time to forget about the commercial aspect and think about the team. Ronaldo may be flashy, but Sterling is a much more sensible signing. For Chelsea, it must be the way forward.
