Sterling heading to Chelsea as Man City offload another forward

English winger Raheem Sterling is all but confirmed to be leaving Manchester City for their Premier League rivals Chelsea. It looks like Sterling will be new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly’s first big move, and it could be one that pays dividends. The deal appears to be worth £45 million, which is the same amount City sold Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal for, although add-ons could bring the total figure up to £55 million.

On the surface, Manchester City simply have too much attacking talent and need to clear some space for Erling Haaland’s arrival. Sterling has been a part of four Manchester City Premier League titles but wasn’t a key player over the last two seasons. Simply put, he is expendable, and although the 28-year-old can still play at a high level, he has not done so consistently of late.

In the past two seasons, Sterling scored 23 goals over 61 league games. In the two seasons prior to that, he had 37 goals in 67 games. Chelsea will be hoping they get the latter player.


On paper, Sterling appears to fit in pretty well with Chelsea. They have tried a lot of wingers in past seasons but haven’t found too many options who can consistently start. Chelsea also lost Romelu Lukaku this transfer window and they are simply looking for players who can put the ball in the back of the net. On his good days, Sterling can be that guy.

Chelsea’s attack was their biggest problem last year, and Sterling is the Blues’ first step towards assuaging that issue. Chelsea still finished third last season, but they were a clear step below Manchester City and Liverpool. While Sterling on his own won’t elevate Chelsea into title contention, there should be some more big-money signings coming.

Right now, Manchester City’s title odds are unaffected by Sterling’s imminent departure. They are still -175 with Bovada to three-peat as EPL champions. City spend the most money, have the deepest team and have dominated in recent history, so there is no questioning their short-priced favouritism.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have odds of +1400 to win the Premier League. While they should be strong again, winning the title might be a bridge too far. As things stand, Liverpool and Man City are so far above and beyond every other team in the EPL that it doesn’t make sense to wager on anyone else.

A bet that is worth placing is for Chelsea to finish highest in the EPL outside of Liverpool and City. Most betting sites have them around +175 to do just that. Chelsea have a rock-solid defence and midfield, and they finished third last season. If Sterling comes in and makes an immediate impact, they should be right in the mix for the bronze medal again.

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