Boehly could sell Sterling and sign 'permanent' star for £40m from Chelsea

Chelsea ended their 2023/24 campaign with a win on Sunday as they secured all three points with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.

Moises Caicedo struck from the middle to open the scoring in the first half before Raheem Sterling struck just after the break, his own goal from Benoit Badiashile serving as a consolation for the away side.

The Buccaneers finished sixth in the Premier League, three points behind Newcastle United, ensuring that they will return to European football next season, after a year away.

With the campaign wrapped up and over for the London giants, Mauricio Pochettino and Todd Boehly can turn their attention to the upcoming transfer window.

Chelsea chiefs may be looking to improve their playing squad in the coming weeks and months as they prepare to improve on their sixth place in the Premier League, and strengthen the squad to compete in Europe.

With this in mind, Pochettino could cruelly dump one of Sunday's goalscorers – Sterling – by agreeing to sign one of the club's transfer targets.

Chelsea interest in Championship star

Earlier this month, TEAMtalk named Chelsea as one of many clubs interested in signing Leeds United starlet Crysencio Summerville.

The report stated that many sides are considering a way to sign the Dutch defender in the upcoming window to strengthen their attack.

It said Newcastle United and Aston Villa were both sending scouts to watch the Feyenoord youngster in action, while there was genuine interest from the Blues.

Meanwhile, incoming Liverpool boss Arne Slot, who is set to arrive from Summerville's former club Feyenoord, has added the 22-year-old magician to his list of targets ahead of his first transfer window at Anfield.

TEAMtalk said that Leeds have placed an asking price of up to £40m on the striker's head but that could be reduced to around £35m if they fail to gain promotion to the Premier League.

Daniel Farke's side have a Championship final against Southampton coming up at Wembley on Sunday and interested clubs may want the Saints to come out on top, as it looks set to save them around £5m in Summerville. they pursued a deal with him.

Bringing the right-footed dynamo to Stamford Bridge could free up space in the squad for Chelsea to aggressively sell Sterling ahead of next season.

Why Chelsea should cash in on Raheem Sterling

Per Capology, the former Manchester City star is the club's top earner earning a staggering £325k-a-week – £75k-a-week more than second-placed Reece James.

Cole Palmer is said to be on £75k-a-week and Noni Madueke is on £50k-a-week, with Sterling leading the charts for the Blues this season.

However, the winger's performance in the Premier League during the 2023/24 campaign does not suggest that the club will receive the £325k-a-week fee.

He ranks third on the team in goals (eight), fifth in assists (four), and ninth in key passes per game (1.0), indicating he hasn't led Pochettino's way in any key attacking metric.

In fact, as you can see in the table above, Sterling did not perform well in front of goals with eight strikeouts from 9.42 xG and only three players were more wasteful than him.

This shows that the striker was below the level of finishing Chelsea in the division, as the average player was expected to score at least one more goal based on the quality of chances created by his teammates.

Sterling also finished the season with just four assists to his name, which doesn't suggest that he wasn't able to finish off his incredibly creative season.

In March, it was reported that Chelsea were considering offloading the 29-year-old in the summer, and Pochettino is set to move those plans forward by signing Summerville as his replacement.

Why Chelsea should sign Crysencio Summerville

Although Sterling turns 30 this year and is heading into the latter stages of his career, the Leeds star is a bright young talent who could be a star of the future for years to come at Elland Road.

Chelsea benefited from taking a chance on a young player last summer when they signed 21-year-old Cole Palmer from Manchester City, who went on to score 22 goals and provide 11 assists in the Premier League.

Summerville, 22, won the Championship's player of the year award last month and his performances this season suggest he could be a big player for the Blues if they can't get promoted to the top flight.

As you can see in the table above, the Dutch award winner enjoyed the same season as Palmer, albeit at a lower level, with his ability to score and create goals at an exceptional rate.

The White Magician, praised as “relentless” in his footballing by commentator Ben Mattinson, is ranked in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and midfielders in the Championship for creating shots per 90 (6.10), in the top 12 % of non-penalty goals in -90 (0.39), and the top 4% of Expected Goals Assisted with 90 (0.30).

This shows that this star is one of the best attackers in this division by scoring goals in open play and creating high quality chances for his teammates.

Therefore, Chelsea could improve their squad by acquiring an exciting talent, who surpassed his xG at 2.49, to replace the underperforming and overpaid Sterling this summer, if Pochettino can help him translate his outstanding form Championship in the Premier League.