Report: Chelsea knew they needed 'urgent' upgrade on Raheem Sterling after one game during pre-season
Chelsea were desperate to get rid of Raheem Sterling in the summer transfer window.
In the end, they managed to do just that after shipping Raheem Sterling to London rivals Arsenal on loan.
While the winger left Chelsea, Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto both arrived, and it has now been revealed that there was a particular game where the club realised that there needed to be changes out wide.
Former Chelsea player Chris Sutton thinks Enzo Maresca was right to ditch Sterling, who has struggled to cement a starting spot at Arsenal.
Chelsea made up their mind on Raheem Sterling after friendly
Chelsea’s wingers were not exactly in great form last season, with Sterling scoring just eight goals in 31 league appearances, for example.
And it looks like they did nothing to convince the club during pre-season in the summer.
According to The Athletic, the struggles of Sterling and Chelsea’s other wide men in a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid solidified the feeling that “urgent” upgrades were needed.
Chelsea could now sell Sterling for less than £30m as they try to get the 29-year-old off their books permanently.
Who could Raheem Sterling join next summer?
While Mikel Arteta obviously wanted to bring Sterling to Arsenal, it would be a surprise if they went on to buy him.
The Gunners are not really utilising the England international, who has made just two starts in the Premier League this season.
The same Athletic report claims that Juventus and Napoli were both interested in him before his loan move to Arsenal, so perhaps a switch to Italy could be a possibility.
One thing that is clear is Sterling has no future at Chelsea. He has been replaced by Sancho and Neto after failing to deliver at Stamford Bridge following his big-money move from Manchester City.
Maresca stated that he didn’t actually want Sterling to depart, but his and the club’s actions suggested otherwise.
from Latest Chelsea News and Updates - The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/sE9R0Fg
Post a Comment