Enzo Maresca strips Raheem Sterling of No.7 jersey amidst brutal comments aimed at Englishman

Chelsea have stripped 29-year-old Raheem Sterling of his No.7 jersey and handed it to new signing Pedro Neto.

Enzo Maresca strips Raheem Sterling of No.7 jersey amidst brutal comments aimed at Englishman

Raheem Sterling's number has been given to Pedro Neto (Via BBC & X/@Chelsea)

Raheem Sterling has gone down the pecking order so much at Chelsea that the club have stripped the player of his No.7 jersey. Tensions between the club and the player’s camp have been part of a long-standing argument that was kicked off by Sterling’s comments.

Recently, the ‘door’ was shut on the Englishman’s face after the club reassigned his jersey number to new signing, Portuguese forward Pedro Neto. Fans noticed that the club’s official website did not feature Sterling’s name and allotted the No.7 to Neto.

Latest signing Joao Felix has been handed the No.14 while No.9 has been left vacant. This has been done while keeping in mind that the club will also bring in a striker before the end of the transfer window.

Several fans have expressed their disapproval of the way the 29-year-old was treated by the club. Others argued that Sterling failed to deliver after making the big-money move to the club and that his performances did not mirror his wage. Raheem Sterling made the move from Manchester City in a deal that saw them pocket £47.5 million.

Chelsea ‘yet to decide’ future of 11 players at the club

Chelsea Football Club have enough players to field four separate starting XIs. Even though many of these players are nowhere near the starting line-up, the club seem to have a sense of urgency as to offloading unwanted stars. Even though Conor Gallagher and Romelu Lukaku are finally on course to join their respective clubs (Atletico Madrid & Napoli), players like Ben Chilwell and Noni Madueke still have no clarity.

Chelsea vs Manchester City
Chelsea have a lot of work to do before the end of the transfer window (Via X/@ChelseaFC)

A closer look at the transfer situation reveals that the club have an excess of goalkeepers as well. Both Kepa Arrizabalaga and Djordje Petrovic have no real chance of breaking into the squad when Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen are the first two choices for Maresca.

Besides the players mentioned above, $115 million worth Mykhailo Mudryk will also be affected by the business done by Chelsea in the transfer window. Trevoh Chalobah, Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka have all struggled to get playing time in recent seasons. A loan move may be the best option for these players considering the fact that Chelsea are planning to bring in even more players.

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