Raheem Sterling was left at home for Chelsea's opening Premier League fixture of 2024/25, against his old club Manchester City. With the winger now "seeking clarity", his other previous team might well feel compelled to reassess its end of the bargain .
Infamously, Sterling left Anfield for Manchester City in the summer of 2015. Having made his desire to leave very public, the youngster became a hated figure — not least because the move appeared to confirm the new power dynamics at play in the Premier League .
After seven seasons at the Etihad, Sterling moved on to Chelsea . But his fortunes at Stamford Bridge have been mixed at best, and Sterling has been left to consider his future after being snubbed by new manager Enzo Maresca.
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Sterling's camp has released a statement. It expresses surprise at the exclusion.
"Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years," it reads . "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. Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively."
It's a sorry development in what has been an unsatisfactory chapter with Chelsea. After five consecutive seasons of hitting double figures for goals in the Premier League with Manchester City, Sterling has not hit that mark in either of his two campaigns since the move, and his future could now be in doubt.
Remarkably, the veteran is still just 29. Not so long ago, that would have been considered peak age for a winger.
But Sterling was a trailblazer for the direction of modern football — his breakthrough at Liverpool while still so young was symptomatic of the toiling squad at Anfield at the time, but also of the shifting sands within the wider game. As his top-level career looks to be stalling, Reds fans should think again about the deal that took him to Manchester City in the first place.
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Yes, he left Liverpool when he was still just 20. But by that point, he had given the club years of genuine first-team contributions, not least a nine-goal haul in a season where the Reds very nearly won the title despite a dysfunctional defense.
The $63m (£49m/€57m) Liverpool netted would still be a big fee now, but it was huge for the time. And while it was tough watching him succeed at Manchester City, it was only a year before Sadio Mane arrived, and Mohamed Salah came the summer after that.
Manchester City certainly got value from the deal — although it's up for debate whether he ever truly kicked on that much, or if he was just put into a better team. Either way, Liverpool secured an upgrade within 12 months, using the cash wisely having already benefitted from his contributions on the pitch.
The only real loser from Sterling's career is Chelsea, who has played the role of helpful fool. Nobody else was willing to fork out $65m (£50m/€59m), seven years on from when Liverpool netted almost an identical fee for the version of the player that still had his best years in front of him.
Certainly, no other team was willing to meet his wage demands. Now, as his representatives point out, Chelsea has him on the books for another three years.
Ironically, older signings on high wages are exactly what Todd Boehly has sought to avoid since taking charge. For all the criticisms of Chelsea's most recent transfer strategies, this goes down as a legacy issue.
Regardless, the Blues are the only side to have really lost out on Sterling. However this latest issue is resolved, it's a mess that neither Liverpool nor Manchester City ever had to deal with, following a move that ultimately benefited both parties — even if it's only become truly clear in hindsight.
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