Chelsea's new signing Sterling will shape the team, says Tuchel

February 12, 2022 Manchester City's Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS

Chelsea's new signing Raheem Sterling will be a huge asset for the London club and the England forward will help shape the team, manager Thomas Tuchel said.

Sterling joined Chelsea on a five-year contract from Premier League champions Manchester City on Wednesday in a deal reported to be worth up to 50 million pounds ($59.16 million).

The 27-year-old is Chelsea's first signing under the new ownership led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, who took over from Russian Roman Abramovich at the end of May.

"He will be a huge asset for us," Tuchel told the BBC on Thursday. "Hopefully he shapes our team by just being who he is.

"For me, he is a huge player, with a huge influence in the last years in English football and he's in a perfect age to now take responsibility around young players that we have and be an example."

After starting his senior career at Liverpool, Sterling moved to City in 2015 and went on to score more than 100 times for the Etihad club. He also helped City win both the league title and League Cup four times as well as one FA Cup.

"Getting what he delivered for years given his age, his hunger for responsibility, and his style of play and his amount of intensity is outstanding," Tuchel added.

"It is the benchmark in the Premier League and is exactly what we need."

Chelsea, who finished third last season, begin the new season with a trip to Everton on Aug. 6.