Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel and forward Kai Havertz have heaped praise upon Raheem Sterling following his arrival at Stamford Bridge this summer.
The 27-year-old arrived for £50 million from Chelsea’s rivals Manchester City this summer.
With just a year left on his contract at the Etihad, Sterling decided to embark on a new journey and wanted to return to London in the prime years of his career.
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Speaking after joining the club, Sterling expressed his excitement as he said:"First and foremost, it’s a pleasure to be here.
"I’ve obviously achieved a lot in my career so far, but there is still so much more to achieve and I’m really looking forward to doing that in a Chelsea shirt, under Thomas’s management.
"London is my home and where it all started for me, and it’s amazing I now have the opportunity to play in front of friends and family week in, week out at Stamford Bridge. I’m really looking forward to meeting the fans there soon.”
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His arrival has given Chelsea a boost, with Sterling joining his teammates for their training camp in Los Angeles initially.
The Blues then travelled to Las Vegas, where they played Club America in a 2-1 victory, before jetting to Orlando ahead of their next match.
Tuchel’s side will face Charlotte FC in North Carolina before playing Arsenal in Florida ahead of the new season.
The head coach opened up on the arrival of Sterling, speaking exclusively to Chelsea’s official website.
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He praised the forward, stating: “He brings intensity and repetitive intensity in some matches. Not even some weeks or in some matches but over years in the Premier League.
"That’s the key. He’s a guy who threatens you with dribbling, with runs, super intense with the ball. That’s what he is. He's been outstanding in the league we compete and that’s why he’s huge for us.”
Tuchel then continued to label Sterling as the new benchmark for his Chelsea teammates following his arrival.
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“It’s a new standard. A standard for him to produce in a new shirt, new stadium, new environment. That’s his challenge. I think he will be a huge influence on other players. He’s the new benchmark,” he continued.
Tuchel is not the only one excited to have Sterling as part of the squad, with fellow forward Havertz keen to learn from the experienced winger.
In an interview with The Athletic, the German said: “In every game, you can see his ability.
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“The game against England at the Euros, he played well. You can see his quality here already and it’s been just a few days. You can see in training how good he is, how fast he is. He is definitely going to help us.
“I saw a stat about him that he has had the most goals and assists for Man City in the last five years or something like that. That tells the whole story of him. He was a great player for City and the national team as well — hopefully, he can keep up his level. For me and everyone, he is going to help.”
It remains to be seen as to when Sterling will make his first Chelsea appearance, with the Blues facing Charlotte FC on Thursday in North Carolina.
Topics: Chelsea, Kai Havertz, Thomas Tuchel, Raheem Sterling, Football, Premier League
Nick Emms