“We’ve spoken and he wants to come back home,” the star reveals in a stunning return twist
Raheem Sterling appears poised to remain at Chelsea through yet another transfer window without securing a departure from the club.
The former England international has found himself marooned in the Blues’ so-called ‘bomb squad’ for more than a year now, following his swift exclusion from first-team consideration by Enzo Maresca shortly after the Italian manager assumed control during the summer of 2024.
Mick Brown, who previously served as Manchester United’s chief scout, provided exclusive insight to Football Insider back in December, stating that Sterling’s departure from Chelsea during the January transfer window seemed unavoidable, particularly given the reported interest from clubs including Fulham, West Ham and Newcastle.
Nevertheless, with Liam Rosenior now occupying the managerial position at Stamford Bridge, it appears the landscape surrounding Sterling’s immediate future could be about to shift once more in the forthcoming weeks.
Raheem Sterling’s prospects of remaining at Chelsea appear to be growing
Rosenior has indicated his intention to hold discussions with both Sterling and fellow outcast Axel Disasi regarding their respective futures following his recent appointment to the role, as he attempts to devise a workable solution for the pair of marginalized players.
Despite the new manager’s apparent interest in assessing Sterling’s situation, this has yet to translate into actual inclusion in a matchday squad, leaving the winger still awaiting his first competitive appearance of the entire campaign.
The 31-year-old forward spent the previous season on loan at Arsenal, and Chelsea have been working tirelessly to engineer a permanent transfer for him ever since Maresca’s arrival at the club, though their efforts have proven fruitless up to this point.
Sterling’s substantial wages have presented a formidable barrier for the West London club to navigate, and this financial consideration has evidently discouraged other Premier League clubs from submitting a firm offer to acquire his services.
Italian side Napoli had recently emerged as an increasingly plausible winter destination for the former Manchester City player, but the ongoing saga surrounding his future seems to have taken yet another unexpected turn following his conversations with Rosenior.
The likelihood of Sterling remaining at Chelsea beyond the conclusion of the January transfer window has been significantly reduced once more, with one prominent bookmaker currently offering odds as short as 6/4 on that particular outcome.
While the versatile wideman has generated interest from numerous clubs in recent weeks, the possibility of him remaining at Stamford Bridge is presently viewed as the most probable scenario by those in the betting industry.
The reasons why Liam Rosenior is unlikely to bring Sterling back into the fold
Keith Wyness, the former chief executive of both Everton and Aston Villa, shared his perspective with Football Insider on Thursday, expressing his belief that Rosenior will ultimately choose not to reintegrate Sterling into Chelsea’s first-team setup.
The 68-year-old executive believes that Sterling’s situation at Stamford Bridge has become increasingly stagnant and irreparable, and he further suggested that it would prove extremely challenging for Rosenior to convince the club’s hierarchy to support the idea of bringing Sterling back into the squad, particularly when considering the substantial wages he continues to command.
Taking these factors into account, Wyness maintains his view that Chelsea should continue pursuing efforts to arrange a last-minute resolution that would see Sterling exit the club before the transfer deadline on 2 February, regardless of how slim their current prospects of achieving this outcome may appear.
The former boardroom executive also anticipates a similar fate awaits Disasi, with recent expressions of interest from Leeds United potentially providing an avenue for departure in that particular case.
