Raheem Sterling has officially left Chelsea by mutual agreement.
The 31-year-old had another 18 months on his Blues contract, but an agreement has been met to terminate the deal early.
Sterling’s had a stellar career for both club and country, but his time in west London was nothing short of a disappointment.
He joined Chelsea in a £47.5m move from Manchester City in 2022, and scored 19 goals during his three-and-a-half seasons at Stamford Bridge.
Transfer News Blitz writer Emily Clogg breaks down just what went wrong for Sterling at Chelsea, and what his future could entail.
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SINGING THE CHELSEA BLUES
When Sterling signed for Chelsea back in 2022, expectations were high – and so was the money involved.
A hefty £47.5m fee and a £325,000 a week contract were signs of real intent from sporting director Todd Boehly.
It’s safe to say that Sterling joined the club as a player with a huge reputation.
He had amassed an impressive 217 goal contributions in 339 matches for Manchester City.
During this time, he won four Premier League trophies, an FA Cup, and five EFL Cups.
The 31-year-old had also been a key player for England over the years, making 82 appearances for the Three Lions.
So, where did it all go wrong at Chelsea?
Well, during his first two seasons at the club, he experienced four different managers.
Thomas Tuchel brought him in, and he was then replaced by Graham Potter, who was replaced by Frank Lampard, who was replaced by Mauricio Pochettino.
Unfortunately for Sterling, when Enzo Maresca took charge, he was exiled.
Since the summer of 2024, he has become a fixture of the Chelsea ‘bomb squad’ – a group of players deemed not good enough, but yet to be shipped off elsewhere.
With Chelsea having signed so many players in recent years, they have ended up with many individuals who they simply cannot fit into their plans.
These players, like Sterling, are often on huge wages and therefore difficult to offload.
His failed loan move to Arsenal last year, where he scored just one goal in 28 appearances, saw him return to Chelsea without a role once again.
WHAT NEXT FOR STERLING?
For the past few transfer windows, rumours have circled about potential exit routes for Sterling, but his stance was clear: he wanted to remain in London.
Now, it seems that he may be open to a new adventure outside of the ‘Big Smoke’.
He may simply have to expand his options further if he wants to reignite his playing career.
The way in which he struggled at Arsenal suggests Sterling may not be cut out for the Premier League anymore.
A potential option that could keep him in the capital, though, could be Queens Park Rangers.
Sterling grew up in the QPR academy, and their stadium is just a stone’s throw away from Stamford Bridge in west London.
They currently sit mid-table in the Championship, but this move could only materialise if Sterling was to wildly reduce his wage demands.
If he is to look abroad, then there are a number of clubs interested, according to reports.
One of those clubs is Serie A holders Napoli.
This, however, is another option that could only come to fruition if Sterling takes a big pay cut.
Napoli’s sporting director Giovanni Manna says: ‘we spoke with him during the summer, but I see it as difficult right now; he has significant financial expectations.’
All in all, it seems clear that Sterling needs to lower his wage demands if he is to get his career back on track; whether that be in London or elsewhere remains to be seen.
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