Pochettino Could Unlock “Frightening” £325k-p/w Chelsea Gem

With Mauricio Pochettino looking increasingly likely to take over the soon-to-be vacant hotseat at Chelsea, he may be expected to delve into the transfer market over the summer.

Sky Sports has reported that it could be as early as next week that a formal announcement is made over Pochettino, with Todd Boehly clearly aiming to get a deal done before the end of the season.

Chelsea spent £323m in January alone on players such as Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Benoit Badiashile, and despite the abundance of talent, the squad just hasn’t performed to the required standard this term.

Pochettino will surely look to bring the best out of the players in the current team before he eyes up any potential incomings – and one member of the first team could do with a new manager to reinvigorate him ahead of 2023/24 is Raheem Sterling.

How has Raheem Sterling performed this season for Chelsea?

A return of seven goals and three assists in all competitions this season is a modest total for the winger, and it could represent his worst season in terms of goal contributions since 2012/13, where he managed two goals and six assists during his breakout season in senior football for Liverpool.

His spell at Manchester City yielded an impressive 131 goals across a seven-year spell where he won four Premier League titles amongst a hatful of other trophies and his move to Chelsea last summer was an arguably surprising one given his success at City.

The £325k-p/w star has struggled to replicate this form he displayed under Pep Guardiola since moving to London, however, and perhaps an attack-minded coach like Pochettino could spark him into life.

The former PSG boss favours attacking formations, which could benefit Sterling, as he could be deployed on either wing to great effect similarly to the way Son Heung-min was at Spurs when Pochettino was in charge – the South Korean star scored nearly 70 goals under him during that spell.

The 51-year-old has managed nearly 600 matches in his career to date and his teams have scored a staggering 1,027 goals. It’s evident that he likes his players to get forward as often as possible to create chances and likes to utilise wingers who can score plenty of goals, suggesting that Sterling could thrive in this environment given his previous exploits.

Having been dubbed “frightening” by Tony Cascarino last season, he has perhaps lost an edge during a troubled few months under a number of different coaches, yet with Pochettino close to being appointed, it could be the catalyst he needs in order to succeed at Chelsea.