There were rumours about Raheem Sterling leaving Manchester City last summer when City were on the search for a new striker.
Failing to sign a new striker meant that Sterling stayed and has played an important role in helping City challenge for their fourth league title in the last five years.
The following visualisation shows where Raheem Sterling ranks for some of the key attacking metrics when compared with the other attacking forwards from Europe’s top five leagues.
Only Phil Foden has played more minutes in the league than Raheem Sterling among Manchester City forwards this season.
Sterling also ranks joint-second for goals scored (10) in the league among Manchester City players.
When compared with the attacking forwards from Europe’s top five leagues, Sterling ranks in the 82nd percentile for Goals per 90 minutes and 91st percentile for Expected Goals (xG) per 90 minutes.
He also ranks above average for Expected Assists (xA) per 90 minutes.
Sterling’s versatility means that he can play anywhere in the front but has been used most frequently as a left-forward, this means he quite often gets in those crossing positions putting him the 95th percentile for crosses per 90 minutes.
One big drawback of Raheem Sterling’s game is his dribbling.
He ranks a lowly 31st percentile for Dribbles Success Rate.
His physical nature also means that he does not win a large percentage of duels that he competes in.
Raheem Sterling joined Manchester City as a 20-year old and is currently in his seventh season at the club.
He looks set to finish this season with fewer minutes in the league than last season but it will still be more than what one expected at the start of the season.
He has been a vital cog in City’s wheel over the last few seasons and will want to continue that in the coming years.
