Raheem Sterling is one of the many players who could still leave Chelsea in August. A statement surrounding the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City caused a stir – and irritation
If you want to take a look at the current first-team squad on the Chelsea FC website, you have to scroll for a long time. According to the club, it comprises 42 players, but nobody else can keep track of it anyway. It’s no wonder that coach Enzo Maresca has recently started to publicly put pressure on individual players to look for a new employer.
Raheem Sterling has not been among them so far, but his stock at Stamford Bridge has fallen rapidly since Sunday. Maresca decided against the winger, who is still tied up until 2027 and is likely to be one of the top earners not only at Chelsea but in the Premier League as a whole, in the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City to open the season
In view of the regulations, which allow a maximum matchday squad of 20 players, this naturally also applied to a number of other Chelsea professionals. But none of the others caused as much disruption. Shortly after the Blues announced their squad, Sterling’s advisors released an obviously prepared statement to the media in which they expressed their surprise at his omission and demanded “clarity” about their client’s situation, who had had such a “positive” pre-season under Maresca.
“I want Raheem Sterling, but there’s not a place for everyone ”
The latter reacted calmly to the statement, which caused plenty of irritation among fans and TV pundits due to the timing. While former professional Micah Richards accused Sterling of having “let his team-mates down”, Maresca announced the required “clarity” for the coming days. “I want Raheem Sterling, but I want all 30 players we have,” explained Pochettino’s successor, who no longer considers twelve squad members as such. “There is not a place for all of them. So some will have to leave.”
Sterling has so far failed to live up to the high expectations raised by his €55 million-plus move from Man City to Chelsea in 2022. In 59 league games, he has 14 goals and seven assists, but has also had the misfortune of experiencing arguably the most turbulent years in the club’s recent history. He has already played under five coaches in London, Maresca would be the sixth – should Sterling make another appearance for Chelsea.