Sterling is relishing his return to London after joining Chelsea

Raheem Sterling is relishing his return to London after joining Chelsea and insists that living in the capital won’t become a distraction: ‘You score, pop round to mum’s and have some Sunday dinner’

• Raheem Sterling is excited about his return to London after he joined Chelsea 
• Sterling is relishing the opportunity to spend more time with his family 
• The 27-year-old says he’s mature enough to ensure London isn’t a distraction 

Raheem Sterling says he is looking forward ‘banging in the goals’ for Chelsea – and then nipping to his mum’s for Sunday lunch.

The London-raised £47.5m new boy, speaking from the club’s US tour, added that he was now mature enough to ensure the capital would not become a distraction and vowed to win trophies at Stamford Bridge following his switch from Manchester City.

‘Every time I get back to London it is a surreal feeling,’ the former Liverpool winger, 27, said. ‘When I first went up north I never really used to come down much – my family used to always come up so I could stay focused on work. Sometimes London can be a distraction. But I am old enough now, mature enough. 

Raheem Sterling is relishing returning to London after he signed for Chelsea this summer

Sterling says he won’t be distracted by living in London and can spend more time with his family

‘For my kids and family, it is going to be a big opportunity for us to spend more quality time with my mum, their grandmother and be closer together. You know what it is like. You score or you win a game, pop round to mum’s and have some Sunday dinner and pop back up. It is lovely.’ 

Sterling believes he has joined a side with a top manager who can challenge, despite last season’s third-place finish. ‘The club has already got that winning mentality but it is about keep doing that every single year and keep winning more and more trophies and building on previous seasons – and that’s what top managers like Thomas (Tuchel) does. It is not one year win and the next is rest. It is again and again and again. That’s why it is exciting to be here. It is a challenge ahead to win more trophies.’

The winger described Thomas Tuchel as a ‘top’ manager and praised his winning mentality

The 27-year-old is grateful for the support he has received since he made the move to Chelsea

Sterling was infamously racially abused by a Chelsea supporter – who was subsequently given a life ban – at Stamford Bridge in December 2018. But he said he had felt nothing but love since completing his move earlier this month.

‘I would say thank you for your warm welcome,’ he explained when asked if he had a message for the fans. ‘It is an exciting time for me. I know how much more I have to offer. I still feel within myself that there is another step that I will be fighting to get on to and this is the perfect platform for me to be on to do that. hopefully…not hopefully, I can do that in person at the Bridge for many years to come, banging them goals in. Simple as that.’

Sterling added that his decision to come to Chelsea was a quick one. ‘It’s something I don’t want to go into too much detail but the conversation I had with the manager wasn’t the longest conversation in the world,’ he said. ‘You can see how genuine he was and how much he wanted me here. That made me feel… that put the nail on it for me and made me certain this is the place I want to be.’ And he is looking forward to what lies ahead.

Sterling has a good relationship with Mason Mount from their time in the England setup

‘First of all, what excites me about coming to Chelsea is seeing the last two years you guys have been in four or five finals, the progress winning the Champions League and now looking to challenge for the Premier League,’ he said. 

‘It’s something that intrigued me when I was having a conversation with the club. Seeing the direction Chelsea is going, it is something that I really bought into and it’s somewhere I can really come into my own. I think it’s the perfect platform for me.’ Sterling joins a side featuring a number of England team-mates – and he revealed that they had already helped him settle.

‘I know a few of the boys from the national team, Mase (Mason Mount), Chilly (Ben Chilwell), to name a few,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a good connection with Callum (Hudson-Odoi) already. Of course playing against each other you always speak to players on match day and it’s always been a group that even if it’s been a tackle or something it has been a good feel. They’ve welcomed me really well and I feel at home already.’

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