Is Raheem Sterling the Player to Help Man City Break Europe's Elite Teams?

With Raheem Sterling's first touch for his new club, it appeared Manchester City had spent £49 million on a Steven Gerrard impersonator.

The winger was clearly keen to make an impression just seconds into his debut but fell flat on his face—both legs flailing—after standing on the ball. His embarrassment didn't last long, though, as he opened the scoring just moments later to make the impact he so dearly desired.

Sterling only played 45 minutes for City in their International Champions Cup match against Roma in Melbourne, but he showed enough to suggest he will be a success at his new club—even accounting for the trip that prompted countless Vines and social media derision.

At £49 million, Sterling is now both the most expensive English football player of all time and Manchester City's most expensive signing ever. Consider all the talent to have arrived at the Etihad Stadium over the past six or seven years and that is quite an accolade.

There is little doubt that Sterling fundamentally improves City as a team. The winger may have struggled over the second half of the campaign for Liverpool last season—with his head scrambled by transfer speculation and contract controversy—but he remains one of the finest young talents in the European game.

But Sterling's price tag was dictated by the player he could become in the future, not the one he is now. The problem for Man City is they need their players to deliver now, particularly those who have had £49 million splurged on them. Sterling is their big summer signing, and now they need some big performances to justify it.

And that is perhaps something Manuel Pellegrini cannot count on immediately from the 20-year-old. At such a young age, there will be fluctuations in his form when City need a player to carry an attacking line that too often appeared somewhat stagnant last season. Sterling doesn't appear to have the consistency to provide that quality.

Someone like Sterling may well take City closer to Chelsea and the top of the Premier League table, with the winger already proven at that level—even if he has played fewer than 100 top-flight games. Reclaiming their place at the summit of English football is of course an objective for Pellegrini and the Etihad Stadium club, but having won the Premier League title in two of the last four seasons, Europe must be considered the final frontier.

In that sense, the £49 million signing of Sterling will have scant impact on City. Is the winger really going to draw them any closer to the European elite of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid? Maybe in the long term but not in the immediate future. For that amount of money, you'd expect City to at least move a little closer to the fulfilment of continental ambition.

The same could be said of Fabian Delph, who secured a move to Man City from Aston Villa on Friday after an unexpected change of heart. As an England international and one of the brightest young midfielders in the Premier League, Delph looks like a shrewd signing at just £8 million, but will he improve City's lineup immediately? Can he really force a way into their packed midfield ranks?

This is an issue City have struggled with for the past few years. The spine of their current team—Vincent Kompany in defence, Yaya Toure in midfield, with David Silva in attack and Sergio Aguero up front—was established seasons ago, with very few signings making any real impact on that lineup.

Last season, for instance, City spent nearly £53 million on three players (Fernando, Wilfried Bony and Willy Caballero) who provided nothing more than depth to their already deep first-team squad. The season before that they spent more than £50 million on four players of similar quality: Stevan Jovetic, Alvaro Negredo, Jesus Navas and Martin Demichelis. None of those four players, less than two years later, is considered first-team stick-ons.

Manchester City have been eliminated from the Champions League by Barcelona in two successive seasons—not because they didn't have sufficient depth but because their starting lineup didn't boast enough quality. And the signing of Sterling—regardless of how much he cost—won't change that.

City are in the rare position of being able to attract the brightest and best talent from around the footballing world, possessing the financial might to challenge Barca, Bayern and Real for signings. Therefore, when they spend £49 million on a player, it should be on someone who is comfortable at such a level.

Putting the money aside, however, there are many positives of Sterling's move for Man City. Pellegrini needs dynamic players, and Sterling is certainly that. Ignoring the trip that finished the move, the 20-year-old showed his versatility and intelligence by taking up a position near the touchline before switching to an inside role to score the opening goal. That will be a useful trait.

In Pellegrini's 4-4-2 formation—which drew much criticism last season—there is a role for Sterling on the wings, but he could also be used behind the central striker, as Brendan Rodgers took to doing at times last season. Sterling will prove a useful player; that is not in doubt.

"I think that Raheem can play in different positions—he can play as a forward because he has a lot of speed or he can play also on the wing," Pellegrini told Man City's website. "He's a very young player so he has a lot of things to improve. I think it's important for him to have a new challenge in our team where he will play with great players which will improve his game. He will also improve us as a team."

But for £49 million, a club like City, in their current situation, should be buying the finished article, not just potential. Sterling might bring an array of qualities to Pellegrini's side, but he doesn't exactly take City any closer to their ultimate objective of becoming as prominent on the continent as they are domestically.

Bleacher Report is Official Media Partner of the International Champions Cup North America.