Thomas Tuchel Didn't Think Raheem Sterling Could Beat Him At Table Tennis, He Was Very Wrong

Raheem Sterling introduced himself to Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel with a table tennis masterclass during the club's pre-season tour of America. You can watch a clip of their rally below. This is great.

The Blues completed the signing of England international Sterling from Premier League champions Manchester City earlier this month in a deal worth a reported £47.5 million.

He penned a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge and quickly joined up with his teammates on the club's pre-season tour of the United States.

Sterling, who is Thomas Tuchel’s first signing of the summer and the first of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital era, came off the bench in their penalty shootout defeat to Charlotte on Thursday.

He certainly left a lasting impression.

pic.twitter.com/RP1MxmAvgb

— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) July 21, 2022

As well as impressing on the pitch, the 27-year-old has left his mark off the pitch, too.

In a brilliant YouTube highlights package of his first week in Chelsea blue, the ultra-competitive Sterling was sat on the sidelines watching a game of table tennis when he challenged manager Thomas Tuchel to a match.

"I promise you, nobody here can beat me at table tennis," he told the German. "No, no, no..." Tuchel replied, shaking his head.

Moments later, the pair moved to the table and well, it didn't take long for Sterling to score a point.

"Not against Raheem!" Tuchel cried. "Not against Raheem, please!"

Sterling has recently spoken about his decision to leave Manchester City to join the ranks at Chelsea.

"Seeing in the last two years it's four or five finals that you guys have been in, the progress, you won the Champions League and are now looking to challenge for the Premier League," he told Chelsea TV.

"It's something that intrigued me when I was having a conversation with the club."

He added: "Seeing the direction that you guys are going in, it's something I really bought into and I just felt it is a place where I can really come into my own. I just think it's the perfect platform for me.

"The club's already got that winning mentality but to keep doing it every single year and keep winning more and more trophies and building on the previous season, I think that's what top managers like Thomas [Tuchel] do.

"It's not one year win and next year rest, it’s again and again and again and that's what excites me to be here."

Can Sterling help Chelsea challenge for the Premier League title in the coming months?

Let us know in the comments.