Raheem Sterling's career seems to be meandering to a bizarre and unsatisfactory conclusion.
Sterling is contracted to Chelsea until the summer of 2027, by which time he will be 32 years old. Having been bombed out by Blues boss Enzo Maresca, the recently closed summer transfer window should have been the perfect opportunity for Sterling to take a big step towards a better twilight.
Instead, it's reported that the estranged England winger declined two opportunities to bring his time at Chelsea to a close and head for greener pastures new.
According to The Telegraph, Sterling and defender Axel Disasi are training separately from the Chelsea squad and Maresca hasn't seen either of them for months.
Advert
Previous interest in the 30-year-old has been scuppered by his reported £300,000-per-week wages and the Telegraph's chief football writer has revealed that he rejected two clubs this summer.
Sterling joined Chelsea in 2022 but the move soon turned sour. The 82-cap England international spent last season on loan at Arsenal but failed to make a real impact and now finds himself in the wind having been told he has no future at Chelsea.
"Manchester United were interested in the summer of last year and got little encouragement from the player," reports Sam Wallace.
"Bayern Munich inquired on deadline day when they were in negotiations with Chelsea over Nicolas Jackson. Napoli were also interested.
"For reasons that are not clear, Sterling seemed reluctant to move overseas, or potentially even away from London. There has been interest from the Saudi Pro League, but that has not gone anywhere."
It would be easy but unfair to speculate about those reasons. Sterling's career has been played out entirely within the white heat of media attention and he's always been willing to fiercely defend his interests when necessary.
If that means not moving to Bayern or Napoli, Sterling of all players will have made those choices with his eyes open.
The value of Sterling is declining
Whatever his motivations for holding steady in west London, it's a shame that Sterling's career has deteriorated to this degree.
He is a terrific player to watch in full flight and he has been rewarded with four Premier League titles and an FA Cup win at Manchester City.
His best days came under Pep Guardiola at City, where he was at times a player of supreme tactical importance.
The former Queens Park Rangers junior started his senior career at Liverpool before his controversial move along the M62.
Topics: Football, Premier League, Chelsea, Raheem Sterling
Chris Nee