As of right now, the Chelsea board will be working tirelessly to find the perfect replacement for Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine left the club last week after just one season in charge, which is without doubt a bold decision by Todd Boehly that could cause plenty of backlash.
However, one of the positives of bringing in a new coach is that it would provide an opportunity for some of the struggling players to revive themselves.
One of those is Raheem Sterling, who would massively benefit from a new manager, especially one who plays attacking football.
The latest on Chelsea’s hunt for a new manager
As per a report from The Athletic, Chelsea are eyeing a move to make Enzo Maresca their next boss.
It’s reported that the Italian has new become one of two options for the club, with Thomas Frank also in contention for the job.
Chelsea’s appointment strategy is to find the next best promising manager who can lead a rebuild of the club rather than sign a ready-made boss.
Maresca fits that profile down to a tee, and considering he’s just 44 years of age, he’s the definition of the up-and-coming coach that Chelsea are after.
The latest, according to the Guardian’s Jason Steinberg, is that talks happened over the weekend.
Some reports even claim that Maresca, or whoever the Blues decide as their next boss could be in place within the next 24-48 hours.
The Chelsea player who could benefit most
Chelsea’s highest-paid player, Sterling, certainly hasn’t justified his colossal £325k-per-week salary since leaving Manchester City in 2022.
Unfortunately, even though Pochettino was able to take his goal tally from six last season to eight this time around, the England international has been unable to nail down a first-team spot.
Chelsea’s number ten started 22 times in the league last campaign, but towards the end of the season, he lost his place in the side to Mykhalo Mudryk.
Yet over the course of the term, Sterling did show glimpses of his former self, and the arrival of former Manchester City coach Maresca could just help him return to his very best.
|
Sterling’s PL Goal Record at Man City |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Matches |
Goals scored |
|
21/22 |
30 |
13 |
|
20/21 |
28 |
10 |
|
19/20 |
30 |
20 |
|
18/19 |
31 |
17 |
|
17/18 |
29 |
18 |
|
Via Sofascore |
||
As you can see, the winger joined the Blues as one of the most consistent goal scorers in the Premier League, who often stepped up when his side needed him most, hitting double figures every season from 2017 to 2022.
His run from the 2017/18 campaign to his final season was absolutely incredible, and a player of that pedigree doesn’t just lose their ability to find the back of the net.
Given that Maresca’s style of play is possession dominant, where off-the-ball movement is imperative to the team’s success, Sterling should feel right at home, as it mirrors the side he thrived in under Pep Guardiola. After all, the Foxes boss was the great manager’s number 2 for a period of time.
Furthermore, Leicester’s joint-second-highest scorer in 2023/24 was Stephy Mavididi, who operates on the left wing just like Sterling, highlighting that his system is tailor-made for the 29-year-old.
Furthermore, the “incredible” boss, as dubbed by Harry Winks, has transformed plenty of declining players this season at Leicester, including Jamie Vardy, Jannik Vestergaard, and the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, which indicates he could get a similar response from the Englishman.
Overall, it’s quite clear that Sterling still has a huge role to play at Stamford Bridge under the right boss, and you can already picture the forward and Cole Palmer combining to replicate his previous relationship with Kevin De Bruyne.
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