Raheem Sterling says he couldn’t afford to ‘waste time’ at Man City and wanted to be a frontman as star opens up on Chelsea move

Raheem Sterling has revealed his desire to ‘not waste my time’ was the deciding factor in his move from Manchester City to Chelsea.

The England striker has moved to Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £50m after spending seven years with the Premier League champions.

The 27-year-old has scored 31 goals in 337 appearances as a City player but has seen his influence dwindle in recent seasons as he drops the pecking order in Pep Guardiola’s plans and spins in and out of the team.

With the World Cup approaching this winter, Sterling made the decision to leave the Etihad Stadium in order to play first-team football more regularly.

It’s something he hopes to do at a club he believes are doing well, with Sterling revealing his desire to be the leader of a team.

Discussing his departure from Man City, Sterling explained at a press conference at Chelsea on Thursday: “I felt my playing time at City was getting limited for different reasons and I couldn’t afford to lose more than that. time.

“When I look back into the future, I never wanted to look back and see a rise and then a fall. So I felt like I had to stay on the same level and a new challenge was in order.

“Since I was 17 I’ve been a regular starter and to get to the peak of my career, not playing regularly was something I wouldn’t accept.

“My personality is to try and fight and change the script but it just didn’t come and that’s it. With the few other options I had, this one was more suited to my personal goals.

“For my family it makes a lot of sense and with the direction the club is going. If you look at Chelsea over the last two years I think it’s four of the five finals they’ve been in, it’s a team who is competing and who will only get better.

“Of course with my time at City there have been a lot of memories and great moments. But the year and a bit that I’ve been out of the team have taught me a lot about myself and made me appreciate a lot of things and try to put them in order.

“A lot of things happen for a reason and I kept that mentality. It was tough, my kids went to school there and my son misses my friends. But in life you have to take the best decisions for you and your family.

“So for me, with the new owner and the takeover, it made a lot of sense. I feel like that’s been my whole journey. Going up to Liverpool and manifesting what I wanted, going to City and living the dream , and now coming back to London as a grown adult, being in the football game and feeling like I have my head on my shoulders.

“I know exactly what I know about my life and about football. Now is the perfect time to take on a new challenge.

As Tuchel doesn’t have a natural striker at the moment, Sterling could continue to be used as a number nine, but according to the England star, the most important thing is to get into areas where he can be influential.

“As you all know, my position is mainly as a winger,” he said. “Sometimes I like to float and take the ball.

“But I always judge myself on my effectiveness on games, so it depends on where I’m going to be most effective at the moment.

“The last game against Everton I played from the false position of nine. And again I will be happiest where I can be effective and help my team.

Asked what Tuchel asked him to do, Sterling added: “He said he wants my franchise and how I run behind as well as how I attack full-backs, which he wants to see a lot more.

“In the dressing room and at the football club, there is a developing side of me that I would like to see a lot more of, and that is being more involved in decisions in the dressing room, being more vocal and ‘trying to lead the team on.