According to the BBC, Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling is not allowed to train with the first team at Chelsea. This could be the end of the English winger’s time at Chelsea. However, Sterling’s representatives are still waiting for “clarity” regarding Sterling’s future at the club. Raheem Sterling was left out of the squad for Chelsea’s opening game against Manchester City.
Sterling traveled with the Blues for their pre-season tour in the USA. The English winger also played several games under the new manager, Enzo Maresca. Things started getting worse for Sterling after Chelsea signed Pedro Neto from Wolves.
Chelsea’s attack is stacked for the season with too many players. However, the main problem will be for Enzo Maresca to give proper game time to every player. Pedro Neto, Raheem Sterling, and Mykhailo Mudryk are all left-wingers, which has made it a crowded position at Chelsea. Other than the role issues, the club is also trying to keep young players for the future. This puts Sterling in a very uncertain spot. Sterling is also facing a tough year, after being left out of the Euro 2024 England squad as well.
Chelsea winger’s big mistake before the Manchester City game
Raheem Sterling was one of the players who came early to prepare for the pre-season. Enzo Maresca had a great first impression of the English winger and called Sterling an “important player” for the upcoming season. However, it became a concerning issue when Sterling addressed the media regarding the player’s exclusion from Chelsea’s squad against Manchester City. Sterling’s representatives expressed their concern regarding Sterling’s exclusion and demanded “clarity” regarding the winger’s role. This interview was not taken well by Chelsea’s manager, who believes Sterling is not the “right type” of winger for his tactics.
Former Liverpool players, Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp, also criticized Sterling’s decision to give the interview instead of working hard in training. However, the situation for the English winger is different here. The Chelsea management and Maresca are trying to push the player for a transfer move. Chelsea signed Noni Madueke, Mykhaylo Mudryk, and Pedro Neto for a combined fee of $189 million. The resale value of players these three youngsters are better than 30-year-old Sterling who is out of form currently. It is up to Enzo Maresca to pick the “right type” of winger amongst them for the squad.
Future of players like Raheem Sterling
Chelsea have told many players to leave in this transfer window. Such players do not have the permission to train with the first team or use the training facilities either. Conor Gallagher was the first player being forced to transfer during this transfer window. The English midfielder was given the option to renew for two years as a squad player or transfer to Atletico Madrid. It was a tough decision for Gallagher to leave Chelsea. However, the English midfielder chose the latter option which was expected. Chelsea have also signed Joao Felix back from Atletico, after the deal for Samu Omorodion fell off.
The problem with too many players was evident during the pre-season for Chelsea. Enzo Maresca could not find a way to integrate so many players into the squad. This squad depth can help them in the later stages of the season or during injury crisis. However, their performances in recent matches have been mediocre, apart from their dominant win against Wolves yesterday.
Many fans still believe Mauricio Pochettino should have stayed as the Chelsea manager for another season. However, the club is in a tough place now for both, the players and the manager. Especially for players like Raheem Sterling. It will be interesting to see which club will take the opportunity to sign Sterling in the upcoming days.
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