Liam Rosenior recognizes the need to address Raheem Sterling’s situation at Chelsea, where the winger was frozen out under the previous regime, amid talk of a move elsewhere.
Raheem Sterling was frozen at Chelsea (Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s new manager Liam Rosenior has insisted that discussions with Raheem Sterling about his future are firmly on the agenda for the winger, who was frozen out under the previous regime.
Sterling’s hopes of returning to the Blues were all but extinguished after the English player was locked up in a ‘bomb squad’ in west London. He trained separately from the first team and Enzo Maresca showed no desire to bring him back into the team.
Sterling was signed from Manchester City in 2023 for £47.5m, but he hasn’t been able to match that price tag. He spent last season on loan at Arsenal, but remained a player in the team and has only played sporadically in recent seasons, with his career at a crossroads.
There has been talk of a possible move to Fulham, but Rosenior is said to be discussing his future with Sterling and fellow player Axel DiSasi, who is also out cold.
“We will talk to them. As you know, it’s already January. Raheem has had a great career. I have a lot of respect for him. Axel is a player that I really, really liked as a player for a long time.”
read more: Rises within Chelsea that led to Enzo Maresca’s departure, sacked manager sends harsh letterread more: Manager Liam Rosenior has been given an ultimatum and has issued a chilling warning to Chelsea.
“To be honest, we have to talk to them. We have to talk to the club. I’ll be completely honest. We literally have to work on our priority list and we’ll do that in the next few days.”
Sterling scored 131 goals for Manchester before moving to Chelsea. His performances earned him the FWA Player of the Year award in 2019, but he was a shadow of the player who shone so brightly under manager Josep Guardiola. He made 81 appearances for Chelsea, scoring just 19 goals.
Liam Rosenior plans candid conversations with certain players (Image: (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images))
Rosenior was in charge of the Blues’ first game, a win over Charlton in the FA Cup, but despite arriving in January he claimed he had had no direct conversations with leaders about who could be signed in the coming weeks.
Chelsea have spent billions under several different managers since Todd Boley and others took over, but the new manager believes his first task will be to work with the players he has inherited.
“I also think that sometimes the answer is not outside the building, but inside the building,” he said. “So we’ll decide that with the players, probably later this week when we meet everyone.”
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