Raheem Sterling completed his move to Feyenoord after releasing his contract with Chelsea during the January period, with the England international signing Robin van Persie.
Raheem Sterling has joined Feyenoord on a contract until the end of the season (Image: Arsenal via Getty)
Manager Robin van Persie has confirmed that Feyenoord have organized a training camp in Belgium on short notice so that Raheem Sterling can join his new team-mates.
The England international made a surprise move to the Dutch giants earlier this week after both sides agreed to terminate his contract with Chelsea in January. Sterling is said to have held talks with 18 clubs before settling on Feyenoord, where he will play under former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Van Persie.
Sterling has not played a single minute for Chelsea this season, but is keen to put his full effort into helping restart his stalled career. However, the 31-year-old has been kept on hold due to work permit issues.
Feyenoord played without a free agent and beat the Go Ahead Eagles 1-0 on Sunday, but Sterling was unable to even practice with his new colleagues.
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However, in a bid to avoid the current impasse, Van Persie confirmed his players will leave for camp on Monday, where they will join up with the four-time Premier League champions.
“That’s allowed abroad. We’re doing it for him, but I also want to work on developing the team. We can have fun conversations and do some fun things together,” Van Persie said.
“He will start training the day after tomorrow,” added Van Persie. “We will check weekly to see if he is fit for the game. It will take time, but he hasn’t played for six months so it seems logical to me.”
After the transfer was made official, Sterling said: “As a free agent, I had the opportunity to take control of the next step of my career for the first time in a while. I wanted to take the time to speak to the club and head coach to better understand the role they envision for me and ensure I can add real value in this next chapter.”
Robin van Persie is looking forward to welcoming Sterling to Feyenoord (Image: Marcel van Dorst/EYE4images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“Having discussed this in detail with CEO Dennis te Klose and Robin, I am confident that Feyenoord is a place where I will be happy and where I can establish myself as a valuable member of the team. Playing abroad is a completely new challenge for me and I am ready to accept it.”
“To be honest, I’m excited to get started. I’d like to thank Feyenoord, especially Robin and Dennis, for their patience and professionalism as we navigated this process.”
After the disastrous result at Stamford Bridge, Van Persie claimed Sterling had chosen Feyenoord to rediscover his love of the game.
“Raheem is a great player with a great personality. He has chosen the love of the game and wants to rediscover his joy here in the Netherlands. We will help him. He has already proven everything in his career. What he is looking for is trust, warmth and love again.”
Sterling’s contract runs until the end of this season, but there is still hope that it could become a long-term deal.
“I hope Raheem enjoys it so much that he chooses to stay here in the Netherlands. We have to make the most of it,” Van Persie admitted.
“What’s remarkable is that even though we played against each other early in his career, we didn’t really know each other as people. In fact, we played five times and I won three of them, but don’t tell him that.”
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