Joe Cole has claimed in his column for The Telegraph that he is impressed by the bravery shown by Raheem Sterling to make the move to Chelsea this season.
The England international took the plunge to leave dominant Premier League champions Manchester City in order to gain the respect as a superstar at a fellow big side.
With the outrageous strength in depth at the Etihad, regular performances and outings were a luxury for Sterling, and he eventually wanted to secure more constant game time elsewhere.
He ended up being the first signing of the Todd Boehly era, and has been a regular for the Blues under both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
The latter has seemingly been using him in a wing-back role, with it not exactly working perfectly so far.
However, a return to the frontline saw him back amongst the goals last night against Dinamo Zagreb, only his second strike since Potter came in.
Cole admires Sterling
Cole has claimed that the move is a brave one for Sterling to make, and Chelsea fans need to be patient before they see the absolute best out of him.
He said: “Raheem has come out of that Manchester City machine and is adapting to something new. It takes time to do that when you move from one big club to another, and I admire him for making the move.
“At City he was a great of the club for what he had won and also for the goals he had scored. But he took the decision to start again at another giant of the Premier League and that takes some bravery.”
A return to goalscoring form will see Sterling hopefully return to the front three for this Sunday’s London derby with Arsenal.
The 27-year-old has a good record against the Gunners, and will need to be at his best if the Blues are to get a result against their table-topping rivals.