Thomas Tuchel sacking might have dealt Raheem Sterling a harsh truth away from Man City

Raheem Sterling left Manchester City in search of stability. He found it in terms of playing time, but off the pitch Chelsea have proved once again to be one of the most volatile footballing environments in Europe.

On Wednesday morning Chelsea confirmed the departure of head coach Thomas Tuchel just 20 months after they hired him. In that time the German tactician guided the London club to a second Champions League title — he outsmarted Pep Guardiola and City in the 2021 final — and became a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge.

Tuchel appeared to have successfully bridged the transition of power from the sanction-hit Roman Abramovich to Todd Boehly, so much so that this summer he was granted more power over the club's footballing decisions than any manager in living memory. He oversaw a £271m facelift of his squad — a Premier League record for a single transfer window — and was afforded the final say over transfers. including the £47.5m acquisition of Sterling from City.

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Sterling, perhaps understandably, wanted greater assurances over game time as he entered the peak years of his career, something he felt Guardiola nor City could offer. In Chelsea he found a suitor who was willing not only to meet City's asking price, but who would make him a key member of the team, guaranteed to start most games.

While the draw of returning to the city of his birth was not insignificant, he admitted that conversations with Tuchel played a huge role in convincing him to swap east Manchester for west London.

"I could see how genuine he was and how much he wanted me here, and that was the nail on it for me," Sterling said of his new manager in an interview for