Raheem Sterling’s future in doubt after squad snub for Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Manchester City
BY EDMUND BRACK
edmund@slpmedia.co.uk
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca cast uncertainty over Raheem Sterling’s future after the England winger was unexpectedly dropped from the squad for their opening game of the season against Manchester City on Sunday.
Sterling is the highest earner at Stamford Bridge, with the 29-year-old paid in the region of £300,000 per week.
A statement from Sterling’s camp was released following the team being announced before their opening day Premier League defeat at home to Manchester City.
It said: “Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years.
“He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.
“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.
“As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation.”
Sterling signed for Chelsea from Manchester City in a deal worth £47.5million in the summer of 2022.
He has made 81 appearances at Stamford Bridge and recorded 31 goal contributions.
“I don’t know,” said Maresca of Sterling’s future. “The only thing I can say is that it was a technical decision and in the next day, we will want to sit and clarify the situation, but it is nothing more than that.
“I want Raheem Sterling but I want all the 30 players we have. But there is no space for them. So for some of them, they have to leave.”
Conor Gallagher, Armando Broja, Romelu Lukaku, Trevoh Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka, admired by Crystal Palace, and Ben Chilwell were also left out.
The Blues fell to a 2-0 defeat to City with Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic on the scoresheet.
“The performance was good,” said Maresca. “We competed against the best team in the world at the moment.
“For a large part of the game, we competed well. We created chances. The biggest difference between us and them has been inside the box.
“We were even better than them in some moments. We can improve many things. We have had six weeks together. We like to analyse the game – we tried to play our football. It’s not easy against this type of team at this moment, but we did well.
“I can see that game after game, the team is improving.”
PICTURES: PA