Sterling teases how ‘genuine’ Tuchel made Chelsea transfer ‘certain’, putting manager in unique bracket

Raheem Sterling says talks with Thomas Tuchel made absolutely sure he was picking the right path in signing for Chelsea from Manchester City.

Chelsea have sealed one of the coups of the summer window by bringing in the 27-year-old. Not only did he help City win four Premier League titles, he now wants to knock them off their perch.

In doing so, Sterling will look to add his standout top-flight reputation following 109 goals in 320 competition appearances.

Chelsea are also getting a senior England international who, alongside Tottenham striker Harry Kane, is a poster boy for the country’s potential World Cup success.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Sterling claimed Chelsea’s “winning mentality” convinced him to move to Stamford Bridge.

However, he added that manager Thomas Tuchel made sure he would not be making a U-turn over his decision.

“It’s something I don’t want to go into too much detail but the conversation I had with the manager wasn’t the longest conversation in the world,” Sterling said.

“You can see how genuine he was and how much he wanted me here.

“That made me feel… that put the nail on it for me and made me certain this is the place I want to be.”

Sterling convinced by Chelsea ambition

But Sterling also feels he can tip Chelsea over the edge in finals and properly into a Premier League title race.

“The club has already got that winning mentality but it is about keep doing that every single year and keep winning more and more trophies and building on previous seasons – and that’s what top managers like Thomas (Tuchel) does,” the winger added.

“It is not one year win and the next is rest. It is again and again and again. That’s why it is exciting to be here.

“It is a challenge ahead to win more trophies.”

The Blues lost to Liverpool in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals last term. In the Premier League, they started brightly but inconsistency soon set in.

New Blues star to aid title push

Sterling’s big remit at Chelsea is no doubt to help the club reclaim their Premier League crown.

They have not won the top flight since 2017, when Antonio Conte brought the trophy back to Stamford Bridge.

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Since then, Chelsea have won the Champions League but fell way short – in the end at least – of Liverpool and Man City in the Premier League.

Sterling will also be looking to help get his new club over the line in at least one of the domestic cups. Given their record of three successive FA Cup final defeats, doing so would be a great achievement in its own right.