Raheem Sterling’s conversation with head coach Thomas Tuchel was a deciding factor in his transfer to Chelsea this summer.
In a move that could be worth up to £50 million, Sterling was announced as Chelsea’s first signing of the summer as he signed a five-year-deal with the Blues.
His contract sees him become Chelsea’s highest paid player, moving ahead of N’Golo Kante and earning a small uplift on his previous deal at Manchester City.
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He was unveiled as a Blue after he joined the side on their pre-season tour in America and has already settled in with the squad.
While he did not make an appearance in the opening game of the tour against Club America, Sterling did make his debut off the bench against Charlotte FC as the Blues suffered a 5-3 loss on penalties having drawn the game 1-1.
The 27-year-old played the second 45 minutes and in his short time on the pitch he impressed, his direct driving runs left many Chelsea fans excited and he rounded off a good performance by converting his penalty in the shoot-out.
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With one more fixture to come in the United States against Arsenal, Sterling will be hoping for another opportunity to impress his manager.
When talking about the chats he has had with Tuchel, Sterling was full of praise, saying: “I don’t want to go into too much detail on the conversation I had with the manager. It wasn’t the longest conversation in the world.
"You can see how genuine he was, how much he wanted me here. That put the nail in it for me.
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"I was certain this is the place I want to be."
He added: “The club already has that winning mentality, to do it every single year and keep winning trophies and building year after year.
“That’s what top managers like Thomas do. It’s not one year win and one year rest. It’s again and again and again. That’s what excites me to be here, to win more trophies.”
Even though Sterling has won so much with Man City he wants a new challenge and is looking forward to the prospect of doing that with Chelsea.
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He detailed: “The first thing that excites me about coming to Chelsea is seeing the last two years, four or five finals you guys have been in.
'The progress, you’ve won the Champions League, to challenge for the Premier League is something that intrigued me.
He concluded: “To see the direction you guys are going, it’s something I’ve bought into.
'I think it’s a place where I can come into my own. It’s the perfect platform for me.”
Featured Image Credit: Chelsea FCTopics: Raheem Sterling, Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel, Football
