Raheem Sterling’s Chelsea Comeback Hits The Bricks

Raheem Sterling’s bid for a remarkable Chelsea comeback appears over.

Sterling had previously been fully ostracized by coach Enzo Maresca. When new boss Liam Rosenior took over, he appeared to offer Sterling a lifeline, addressing questions about him and Axel Disasi at his first press conference as head coach.

“I will have conversations with them. We’re in January, as you know,” Rosenior told the media.

“Raheem’s had an outstanding career. I’ve got huge respect for him. Axel is someone I’ve really, really liked as a player for a long time.

“Honestly, I have to have a conversation with them. I have to have a conversation with the club. I’m being genuinely honest. I literally have got to work through a list of priorities. I will do in the next few days.”

If Rosenior did follow through with those conversations in the days after his press conference, it did not lead to any tangible change: it is now being reported that Sterling is likely to leave Chelsea before the transfer deadline.

Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol reported the club was negotiating with the player’s representatives for a permanent transfer out of West London.

“It is expected he will no longer be a Chelsea player after [the] Monday [transfer deadline],” Kaveh Solhekol said.

“Sterling has been training away from the first-team squad and he still has 18 months left to run on a contract worth more than £300,000 a week. The player does not want to leave on another loan deal.

“There is still time to find a potential permanent move or an agreement could be reached regarding his contract. Either way, a solution is expected.”

Sterling’s rapid fall from ‘marquee’ signing to outcast is stark, given the fanfare surrounding his arrival in 2022.

”Raheem Sterling is a serial winner and his signing is an important step in strengthening our squad,” gushed Todd Boehly, chairman and co-controlling owner said at the time.

He added: “We are delighted for Raheem to return to London with Chelsea, and we look forward to seeing his world-class talent on display at Stamford Bridge.”

Chelsea never saw Sterling display his ability in West London or anywhere else.

His gametime at Stamford Bridge and during his unsuccessful Arsenal loan has plummeted, leaving him a forgotten man.

This season the serial Premier League winner is not even a squad player at Chelsea and spends his days training in isolation, away from the first team.

Sterling’s squandered talent is costly for Chelsea, whose commitment to his $415,000-a-week wage now looks questionable.

That lucrative contract still has 18 months to run.

In hindsight, it looks an incredible risk to have taken on a player who was, at best, coming to the tail end of his peak.

While the club has taken an extreme stance on Sterling, some of the fans at Stamford Bridge are more forgiving.

When the BBC canvassed opinions about whether the approach to the situation was correct, several believed integration was a better method.

“I think both should be given a chance to train with the main squad and if they offer something to the team, given a chance,” one supporter called Bob wrote, “I also feel disgusted with how they’ve been treated by the club. I would not expect to be treated like they have in my everyday job.

Another fan, known as David, added: “Raheem Sterling should be in the Chelsea squad for the rest of the season, because the man is a proven Premier League goalscorer. His experience would help and I would play him as a back-up striker. Utilise all that is available to you.”

It’s refreshing to hear fans refusing to fall into the trope of blaming the well-paid soccer players for such a fallout.

Whenever a player is ostracized on wages as large as Sterling’s there is always a clamour for them to give up all that was promised to them for the good of the club.

But even the most staunch critic of the ex-England pro would confess that such loyalty does not cut both ways.

Years of service will be thrown out in the blink of an eye if a team believes it can get a younger model.

Contracts, which fans will demand are honored when it benefits their club, will be ripped up if a star falls out of fashion.

The decline of Sterling has unfolded over several seasons, but his recent disappearance into a non-playing hinterland is the result of Chelsea’s decisions during this period.

Rosenior’s willingness to speak to Sterling is irrelevant: when a club has judged someone beyond redemption, not even a manager can change that.

His comeback at Chelsea might have failed but there’s still time for one last chapter in Sterling’s storied career.