Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel plans to rely on England striker Raheem Sterling this season as the London club fail to sign a new striker.

Sterling played as a fake striker in the Chelsea-Everton match in the first round of the Premier League, with Kai Havertz in charge of the attack.

Sterling talked about his favorite position and said at the time: “As you all know, my main position is as a winger, sometimes I like to walk around and grab the ball, against Everton I played as a fake striker, but I will be happy when I help my team.”

However, Tuchel, in his statements to the British newspaper Metro, stated: “I think he should play in the last squad or between the defensive line.”

He added, “Raheem has trained very well in this role (fake avant-garde), he has a high quality and we can benefit from him in many areas.”

He continued: “Of course he can play as a winger, but I liked what he did against Everton.

He concluded: “The case is not over yet, he joined the pre-season late, but one thing is clear that his influence is huge and clear, regardless of his position.”

Johnny Khoury