Pablo Zabaleta has explained why new Chelsea signing Raheem Sterling will not have legend status at Man City like Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva.
Sterling joined the Blues from Man City for £45m last week and penned a five-year deal with the option of another.
The transfer brought to an end his seven-year spell at the Etihad Stadium where he contributed 131 goals in 339 appearances for Man City in all competitions.
Ten Premier League starters who have already been replaced by new signings but not yet sold
The England international won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and five League Cups during his time at Man City but Zabaleta doubts he will go down as a legend at the club.
“For me, when I think of legends I say Aguero, Kompany, Silva,” Zabaleta told Sky Sports. “Those guys are on a different level, that’s why they have a statue outside of the club.
“Raheem has been great so we wish him of course all the best he went to a team that obviously that is a big contender for the Premier League.
“I just wish him all the best he’s a great lad but for Man City always the most important thing for the fans are the players and when you come to this club you to give 100%.
“And the moment you leave you need to talk nicely to the club you’ve been playing for and I wish he could behave in that way.”
🎙️ “When I say legend, for me it’s Silva, Aguero, Kompany…those guys.”
Pablo Zabaleta says Raheem Sterling did a ‘great job’ at #ManCity, but fell short of labelling him a ‘club legend’. 🔵⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ZG2ucHbaoz
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 19, 2022
Speaking about the signing of Sterling last week, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said: “He was the absolute number one for that position. I gave his name to Todd straight away.
“Every time we played against him, he’s horrible to play against, horrible! The main point is his intensity and the amount of repetition of intensity that he delivers. This is simply outstanding over the last years.
“He caused huge trouble when he played against us and once you dig in deeper into his data and not only statistics in his goal involvements, it’s outstanding.
“It’s exactly what we need to raise the level of our players. That’s why we are so sure and that’s why he was, for us, top of the list.”
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football365…