Since the takeover of Todd Boehly in May 2022, Chelsea have spent over £1b on transfers as they aim to close the gap produced by the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool in recent seasons.
Players such as Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo have both joined the Blues for fees over the £100m mark – with the latter breaking the English transfer record after his move from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer of 2023.
The club also brought in winger Raheem Sterling from Manchester City for a fee in the region of £45m back in July 2022 – with Sterling failing to make a real impact at Stamford Bridge.
The former Liverpool youngster has made 70 appearances for the Blues, scoring 17 times – a disappointing return for the hefty fee the club spent on him a couple of years ago.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has often stuck with the 82-cap England international despite some of his below-par performances this campaign. The Blues host Leeds United in the FA Cup on Wednesday night, with one player in the Chelsea squad more than deserving of a starting place.
Raheem Sterling stats against Liverpool
The 29-year-old played 67 minutes during the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, before being replaced by Christopher Nkunku – with Sterling achieving the lowest rating of anyone in the Chelsea squad, as per Sofascore.
During his 67-minute display, the winger only achieved 19 touches – completing just eight passes, before being substituted.
The former Manchester City man has always been known for his dribbling ability. However, on Sunday, Sterling attempted three dribbles, failing to complete any of them and also lost possession seven times – giving the ball away once every nine minutes.
Minutes played
67
Touches
19
Accurate passes
8/10 (80%)
Shots
0
Key passes
0
Dribble success
0/3
Duel success
0/7
Possession lost
7x
Dribbled past
2x
Sterling further contested seven duels throughout the final, losing all seven of them – with his substitution justified given the stats from the encounter.
Given the attacker's poor performance, Pochettino should look to unleash winger Noni Madueke against Leeds United in their latest cup outing.
The man to replace Sterling against Leeds
The "unreal" Madueke, as dubbed by scout Jacek Kulig, has found starts hard to come by under Pochettino, with the former PSV man only making four in the Premier League.
The 21-year-old, who joined the Blues from PSV for £30m last January, has huge potential as seen from his time in the Netherlands with the Chelsea faithful yet to see the best of the winger.
Madueke has scored twice for Chelsea in the Premier League this season, with his record impressive given the fact he's only managed 344 minutes in England's top flight.
With the Blues in cup action against Championship side Leeds tonight, Pochettino should look to give the winger a rare start in order to stake his claim for a regular first-team position.
That, coupled with Sterling's current poor run of form, gives the Argentinian a free hit to let Madueke express himself and start to showcase why the club were so keen to spend a hefty amount on him given his tender age.
