He is undoubtedly one of the great prodigies of English football in the last decade. Developed at Liverpool, Raheem Sterling demonstrated from his very first steps in the Premier League at 17 that he would be one of the future stars of the league and that he would likely have a phenomenal career. Now 30 years old, the Kingston, Jamaica native plays for Chelsea . The problem is, the right winger is no longer training with the first team and has been completely sidelined by the Blues. A terrible fall from grace that was quite unexpected for someone who was named Player of the Year at the end of the 2018-2019 season, which he finished with 17 goals and 10 assists in 34 Premier League matches.
Signed for over €50 million by Chelsea in the summer of 2022 after several outstanding seasons at Manchester City, the England international (82 caps, 20 goals) was expected to embody the Blues' resurgence and be one of the London club's best players. Ultimately, his time at Stamford Bridge didn't live up to expectations. Leaving just before Manchester City's incredible treble-winning season, Sterling had a mixed first season with Chelsea, scoring 10 goals and providing 5 assists in 42 appearances. He improved during the 2023-2024 season (10 goals, 11 assists, 43 matches), but Sterling ultimately faded from view in the summer of 2024.
Sterling is training alone at Chelsea
Indeed, with the arrival of Enzo Maresca as manager of the London club, the 30-year-old striker was no longer part of the Italian coach's plans. From then on, his downward spiral began. Forced out, he joined Arsenal on loan. Suffering from a severe loss of confidence, he struggled to establish himself against the competition at the Gunners and was relegated to the bench. As a result, the former Liverpool player had one of the worst seasons of his career, scoring just one goal in 28 matches. The worst was yet to come, however, with a return to Chelsea in the summer of 2025. Struggling to find a way out due to his substantial salary (€19 million gross annually), he finally resigned himself to spending a season in the Blues' reserves. Unable to score a single goal in the Premier League since May 2024, Sterling has been training alone at Cobham.
In a difficult situation at 30, Raheem Sterling risks struggling before finding a solution before his contract expires in June 2027. His future certainly doesn't lie in the upscale neighborhoods of London, where Maresca was blunt about his player: " He's a Chelsea player because he has a contract with the club. Right now, he's training separately. The idea is to continue in exactly the same way. I haven't seen him since the start of the season. Will he play with us again? No. " While Axel Disasi is gradually getting closer to the Blues' first team after such a disappointment , the situation seems much more complicated for Sterling, who surely imagined himself in a different position at 30... His troubles also extend off the pitch, with a recent burglary at his home while he was there with his wife and children. In short, nothing is going right for Raheem Sterling at the moment.
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