Raheem Sterling to West Ham makes total sense after what Graham Potter’s had to say
West Ham United remain desperately short of firepower with just a couple of weeks until the new Premier League starts.
The Hammers only scored 46 league goals last season, plus Mohammed Kudus has joined Tottenham and Michail Antonio has been told he has no future in east London.
West Ham have signed Callum Wilson, but could still do with some additional flair players to give themselves the best shot of improving on their uninspiring 14th-place finish last season.
That is where Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling comes into the equation.
Sterling to West Ham may just make sense
Sterling has emerged as a potential candidate to solve West Ham‘s goalscoring problems.
The former England striker has been deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea, and Enzo Maresca is willing to send him on a season-long loan.
The links to Sterling might be underwhelming considering his dire loan spell at Arsenal last season, but it makes complete sense when you consider what Graham Potter has said about him in the past.
Potter worked with Sterling at Chelsea, and although his reign at Stamford Bridge was short-lived, Sterling was always the focal point of the attack at that time.
During his time at Chelsea, Potter was always quick to praise Sterling’s natural talents.
He also complimented Sterling’s mentality several times during his spell in West London.
He received a lot of criticism from the fans during his time at Chelsea, but always managed to bounce back.
Potter had previously told chelseafc.com: “It’s part of being where we are, in terms of there’s always something to prove, especially if things don’t go as well as you’d like in terms of performances and results.
“You know you’re open to scrutiny and criticism. If you don’t accept that or can’t deal with that then you probably shouldn’t be here.”
Tellingly, Potter also bigged up Sterling’s ability to play right across the frontline, which could come in handy for the Irons this season.
“Raheem is an important player for us. He’s got incredible speed, quality, and experience at the highest level.
“He can play in several attacking positions and always gives everything.”
Sterling and Potter could be match made in heaven for Hammers
Sterling hasn’t been anywhere near his best in the last two seasons.
His form dipped at Chelsea after Potter left and he was unable to recover it during his loan spell at Arsenal. In both cases, he was hardly given a long enough run of games to show what he can do.
Sterling is still only 30 years old. He has time to recover his peak form. What he needs now is a manager who trusts him to be the main main.
Potter can be that manager.
| Raheem Premier League statistics | |
| Appearances | 396 |
| Goals | 123 |
Sterling has been linked with a move to Juventus, but it’s believed he’d prefer to remain in London. He could be the star of West Ham’s attack now that Kudus has joined Tottenham Hotspur.
He could thrive with that responsibility and hopefully recover the form that saw him win so many Premier League titles with Manchester City.
Since it’s only a loan deal, there’s not much risk for the Hammers. This could be a huge win-win for both player and club.
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