‘Ridiculous’ Pep Guardiola comments highlight Chelsea’s smart transfer business

Raheem Sterling has already shown the character needed to succeed under Thomas Tuchel.

Chelsea have now completed the signing of Sterling from Manchester City on £45million deal, with Tuchel moving to strengthen his attack.

The Blues sent Romelu Lukaku out on loan, while there is talk Hakim Ziyech could depart before the summer ends.

Sterling arrives having put together a fine season, scoring 17 and assisting nine across all competitions.

Though, the England international’s last season at City was not without it’s trials, with Guardiola dropping him in December.

Sterling responded excellently, putting together a fine run of form and becoming a key player for the rest of the season as City won the title, starting the vast majority of games.

“I would like to say yes for my ego and for a better contract for the next seasons,” said Guardiola after Sterling’s resurgence. “I am sorry – that is the most ridiculous thing; all this credit is for the player.

“I am going to reveal a secret: when we played Aston Villa [a 2-1 win on December 1] the day before we have 12 players and he was not selected and on the day [Ilkay] Gundogan had a pain in his back and could not travel and Raheem played.

“Just take a look at the first 15-20 minutes he played – it was the best 15-20 minutes maybe from the last months.

“I did something but he did it, so give the credit to the player. I can talk about theories, how good we are, how beautiful the weather in Manchester is, the draw for the Champions League – I can pretend I know everything, but it belongs, absolutely, to the players.

“I want more from him but I want more from Gundogan, I want more from Kevin [De Bruyne], I want more even from Bernardo [Silva], from Rodri.”

That character to bounce back will be key under Tuchel, who has often chopped and changed his front line.

Be it Lukaku, Timo Werner or Hakim Ziyech, Tuchel has shown his willingness to drop high profile players to maximise his team’s performances.

Not all have responded well, with all of those three players struggling, at times, to build momentum on the back of being dropped previously.

Sterling appears to be made of different stuff, responding excellently to being dropped and performing well enough to make himself almost impossible to drop.

Adding that kind of personality and mentality is a smart move from Tuchel as he looks to make his side into a more dangerous outfit.