"We all noticed and we were like, it’s early" - Thierry Henry says Chelsea star 'didn't look happy' with Graham Potter after getting substituted during 1-1 Salzburg draw
Former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry has said that Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling seemed disappointed with head coach Graham Potter's decision to replace him during his team's 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg on September 14.
Sterling, who joined the Blues from Manchester City for £47.5 million earlier this summer, scored the first goal of Potter's reign at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, September 14.
He opened the scoring early in the second half of the UEFA Champions League Group E fixture. However, Noah Okafor equalized for the visitors in the 75th minute of the contest.
Raheem Sterling scores the first goal of the Graham Potter era 🔵 https://t.co/T7jwWhialT
As Chelsea toiled for a winner in the final 15 minutes, Potter decided to substitute Sterling off for Christian Pulisic in the 84th minute. The 27-year-old was visibly unhappy with the manager's decision.
Speaking on CBS Sports (via Metro), Henry shared his thoughts on the situation involving Sterling and Potter. He elaborated:
"We all noticed and we were like, 'it’s early' and everything. First and foremost, I don't know why he took Sterling off because he scored and you know he could score another goal. It'll be interesting to see how he's going to deal with that tomorrow morning because he [Sterling] didn’t look happy."
He continued:
"Maybe we're going a bit too much into it, but when they showed him on the bench, I think I wouldn't have liked to come out after [scoring] a goal, let's see how he's going to deal with that one."
Sterling has enjoyed a refreshing start to his new chapter in London, registering four goals and an assist in eight appearances.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher also opined on the former Brighton & Hove Albion manager's debut. He said:
"They didn't win the game, they didn't create an awful lot of chances, but that's the way Brighton set up with Graham Potter. Any manager who comes in is going to put his own stamp on it, his own system."
Graham Potter has landed at Stamford Bridge. #CFC https://t.co/mig3SGqfDA
Chelsea are currently bottom of Group E of the continental competition with one point from two matches. They lost their opening match of the tournament to Dinamo Zagreb. Meanwhile, the club are sixth in the Premier League standings with 10 points from six matches.
Graham Potter hopes to bring Harry Kane to Chelsea in swap deal - Reports
According to CalcioMercatoWeb, Chelsea head coach Graham Potter wants to sign Harry Kane in a swap deal involving Romelu Lukaku. The move, which will reunite the Belgian with Antonio Conte at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, could be a player-plus-cash offer too.
Kane, who has two years left on his current deal, has netted five times in eight matches across all competitions for Spurs. On the other hand, Blues' club-record signing Lukaku has scored once in three Serie A games, while out on a season-long loan at Inter Milan.