Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling was dropped from the entire squad by new boss Enzo Maresca for the opening match of the season against Manchester City. That prompted the 29-year-old’s camp to release a bombshell statement demanding talks with the club’s hierarchy.
Sterling played a key role in pre-season and was expected to at least make the bench against his former side.
But Maresca, with a bloated squad at his disposal, left the frustrated winger in the stands.
Our writers take a look at how the rest of the transfer window could play out for Sterling…
Mikael McKenzie
Put more respect on Raheem Sterling’s name. If there’s one thing Chelsea lacked on the pitch against Manchester City it’s experience and game management. The Blues didn’t fielded a player over 26 years old and it showed.
Plus, Sterling is a serial winner and would have had an extra fire in his belly against his former side.
The manner in which Enzo Maresca cast him aside without even speaking to him is just rude. No wonder his camp released that statement. At least treat Sterling like a man. Have a one-to-one conversation and explain his thinking. Sterling deserves better.
I’m not saying Sterling has to start, but he’s a better option on the bench than Carney Chukwuemeka.
Archie Griggs
I can see both sides of the story. It was hardly ideal for Sterling to release such a statement just hours before the start of Chelsea’s season. The whole saga has cast a dark cloud over Stamford Bridge at an already difficult time.
But I can also understand why he is so frustrated, with Chelsea responsible for causing this mess for themselves by adopting a ridiculous approach to the transfer market.
When you have such a bloated squad, some big-name players will inevitably be left out which runs the risk of causing discontent. However, I was not impressed with Sterling airing his dirty laundry in public and I would expect him to face internal punishment.
Charlie Gordon
A big-name winger was always going to be left out against Manchester City due to the ridiculous number in Enzo Maresca’s squad. Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku were deserved starters out wide, and it’s difficult to pinpoint which bench player could have made way for Sterling out of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Noni Madueke and new signing Pedro Neto.
Sterling has played better than Mudryk during their time together at the club but leaving the £88.5million Ukrainian out of the matchday squad would have been even more embarrassing for the Blues.
Sterling is still a top player and his performances at Stamford Bridge have not been as poor as some like to make out. Chelsea’s chaotic situation, brought on by their bizarre transfer strategy, should serve as a wake-up call for Sterling to seek out a new challenge in a more stable environment – even if it means taking a wage cut.
Tom Parsons
Raheem Sterling was one of the most dangerous attacking players during his time at Liverpool and Manchester City. But he has faltered at Chelsea.
In Sterling’s defence, it must be exceptionally hard to perform at the top of your game when there is so much competition for a starting place and there are players lining up to take your spot. But Sterling must have been aware of those risks when he joined the club in the first place.
Being dropped comes with the territory at Stamford Bridge. He isn’t entitled to be involved every week just because of who he is. The player should put his career first and get out of the club as fast as he can. But he might have to move abroad to a club plying their trade in the Champions League if he wants to carry on playing at the top level of the game as the other big six clubs in England wouldn’t take him.
Fraser Watson
No on at Chelsea comes out of Sunday’s Raheem Sterling saga with any kudos, least of all the player himself.
Admittedly, Enzo Maresca’s decision to axe him from the matchday squad was as unnecessary as it was baffling. A player fresh from a summer without international tournament football, and if nothing else an experienced and viable option from the bench, snubbing him was always going to add more fuel to the flames already engulfing the chaotic club right now.
None of which excuses the reaction of Sterling himself, with the timing of his self-indulging statement almost defying belief. All it achieved was erase any potential sympathy towards the 29-year-old and with the club still needing to make sales, he’s now risked being exiled. If his representatives posses an ounce a sense, a second statement issuing an apology will be imminent and from then on, Sterling must let his feet do the talking.
Sam Smith
Sterling is the victim of Chelsea’s transfer obsession. Too many big-money players signed under the current regime have subsequently been put up for a sale, an indictment of those running the club. It was clear that such an abundance of incomings every transfer window would create an unsettled squad.
There would have been an expectation upon signing in 2022 that Sterling would be a senior player leading a young squad. For various reasons, that plan has not come to fruition. An unsettled club culture cannot have helped and Sterling’s form has been inconsistent at best.
The timing of Sterling’s statement – albeit put out by his management – was regrettable and should have happened after Chelsea lost against Manchester City. But it is clear to see why a player might want to go public in demanding some clarity on the chaos at Stamford Bridge.
