Three Premier League players who need to have bounce back seasons
By Evan Curnew
We are just days away from the beginning of the Premier League season. Every year, players with high expectations, unfortunately, have poor seasons that see their reputation take a big hit. There are, of course, a variety of reasons players have poor seasons, meaning a lot of time; it is hard to know if the player has lost quality or is just unlucky. Nonetheless, every player who admits to having a bad season will always say they want to “bounce back.” So, who are the players that need a bounce-back season?
Raheem Sterling (Chelsea)
Sterling joined Chelsea last summer for a £47.5 m fee from Manchester City. During his time at City, Sterling was regarded as one of the best wingers in the league. The summer before he joined Chelsea in 2021, Sterling enjoyed a very strong Euros showing with England, netting three goals en route to a runners-up finish, losing to Italy. Despite no longer being seen as important under Pep Guardiola, Raheem had still finished the 21/22 season with Manchester City with 13 goals and six assists in Premier League play.
Life at Chelsea has not gotten off to a great start for Sterling. He dealt with injury problems throughout the season and, when healthy, was not anywhere near his usual self. Sterling started just 23 Premier League games for Chelsea last season. In fairness, Chelsea also played very poorly, with four different managers (both interim and permanent) throughout the campaign. Sterling had just 9 goal contributions in the Premier League, his lowest total since the 15-16 season.
Unfortunately for Sterling, it will be an uphill climb to bounce back under Mauricio Pochettino. Young talent Mykhaylo Mudryk will be expected to play plenty of minutes on the left wing. Chelsea has somewhat solved their centre-forward position by signing Nicolas Jackson, so even that position, which Sterling played last season, is occupied. If Raheem is to earn minutes, it likely is out on the right wing, which he is also familiar with. Noni Madueke will be Sterling’s competition on that side, but it’s also expected Chelsea will sign a couple more forwards.
Chelsea are trying to finish MUCH better than last season. Having a veteran forward such as Sterling, amongst a young squad, lead the line, could go a long way in bringing European football back to Stamford Bridge.