Chelsea are facing another summer of transformation and perhaps more spending.
After splashing over £1bn on talent, you would think that it would be enough to move the club forward.
But if anything, Chelsea are as still as the ocean water on a cool evening in the Bahamas, with the team showing little improvement from last season and now facing the chaos like club-goers streaming out on the streets of Ibiza at 4 am.
To balance the books, and to clear out those players who simply aren’t performing, big-name stars are expected to leave.
Jeff Stelling is adamant that Raheem Sterling will head for the exit door and possibly follow the likes of Harry Kane out of the Premier League, as he told talkSPORT (25/03/24 at 9:25 am).
The popular presenter questioned ‘why would he want to stay’ after his struggles at the club continued before the international break.
The Chelsea fans booed Raheem Sterling during his side’s FA Cup win over Championship high-flyers, Leicester City.
Even though Mauricio Pochettino watched his team progress, the Stamford Bridge faithful made their feelings clear towards the manager and their £325k-a-week star.
When Chelsea signed the 29-year-old from Manchester City in 2022, he was supposed to start a new trophy-winning chapter for the London club.
Not only has it been a major failure for the player in question, but it has also been disastrous for the club and their plans to compete like an elite team again.
Raheem Sterling’s Chelsea future
“It’s no surprise this, but I think Raheem Sterling will leave Chelsea,” said Stelling.
“Why would he want to stay? He is a boo boy’s target and you think about what has happened to him. He was a star man in the 2020 European Championships and a key player at Qatar 2022. He has lost his England place and is not even near the squad.
“Also, he is 30 this year? It’s probably time to move on. The big question is, where does he go to? I don’t see any of the top sides, he has been to Liverpool and Man City, necessarily taking a punt on him. Maybe he will follow the likes of Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Jadon Sancho and end up in Germany.”
Raheem Sterling and Saudi Arabia
Given the heavy spending by Chelsea, they still have to balance the books somehow.
Just like last summer, it might be a case of selling first-team stars, with sources telling HITC Football that Sterling has no future.
There has been talk of Saudi Arabia, but you have to question why the versatile forward would consider such a move if it came about.
Look, he still has a chance to turn things around at the Bridge because there is an FA Cup to win, if he does the business there, then you know how fickle football fans can be and how the mood can change.