Raheem Sterling‘s move to Chelsea last summer came as a surprise to many, as the winger had spent the previous seven years at Manchester City. However, it has now been revealed that Sterling had considered a return to his former club, Liverpool, before making the switch to the Blues.
Sterling began his professional career at Anfield, making his debut for the club in 2012 and quickly establishing himself as a key player. However, in July 2015, he made the controversial decision to leave the Reds and join Manchester City for a humongous transfer fee of £49 million. It was the record transfer fee for a teenager at the time.
Despite his success at City, where he scored 131 goals in 339 games and won 10 major honors – including four Premier League titles. He also featured in the 2021 Champions League final, which Pep Guardiola’s side lost 1-0 to Chelsea in Porto. It appears that Sterling had not completely ruled out a return to Liverpool. According to reports, the 28-year-old was keen on a move back to Merseyside, but ultimately a transfer did not materialize. According to new reports from The Athletic, Raheem Sterling was ‘dead-set’ on leaving Manchester City last summer before entering the final year of his contract. Despite a lot of speculation about his future, few rumors were actually concrete.
It is also claimed that a move to Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Paris Saint-Germain was never on the cards for Sterling. He was reportedly only interested in a move abroad if it was to a top club, and Chelsea was his only realistic option. Sterling also picked up plenty of individual honors during his time at the Etihad. The three-time Premier League Player of the Month was named the Football Writers’ Association’s (FWA) Footballer of the Year at the end of the 2018/19 campaign.
🥇| Raheem Sterling wanted to return to Liverpool in the summer over signing for Chelsea, but Klopp was not interested in the winger. [@SamLee] pic.twitter.com/6pvryRQHp5
— Anfield Edition (@AnfieldEdition) January 27, 2023
Read more: Despite recent success Barcelona is still missing Lionel Messi ‘big time’
Read more: Pep Guardiola calls out football Pundits for ‘biased’ scrutiny of Mikel Arteta
Some Good news for Chelsea as Stirling returns to Individual training
Raheem Sterling has not featured for Chelsea since the Premier League defeat against his former side Manchester City at the start of 2023. However, he has stepped up his recovery from a hamstring injury ahead of the Blues’ clash against Fulham next week. The winger was reportedly back for Individual training on Thursday.
The England International winger has scored 4 goals and given 2 assists in 14 matches for Chelsea this season. However, with Sterling’s rehabilitation going well, Graham Potter may have a big boost to come in the coming weeks with the reintroduction of the 28-year-old.
Sterling’s return will be a huge boost for Chelsea, as they have been struggling to score goals in recent matches. His pace, skill, and finishing ability will be a welcome addition to the team, and he will be able to provide much-needed support to the team’s attacking players.
Loading ⏳️ pic.twitter.com/AZC6qQG7Bn
— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) January 24, 2023
Sterling on his rehabilitation
In case you missed:
