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Former Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling has been told he has “failed” as he finds himself out in the cold at Chelsea.
Sterling, who of course broke through as a youngster at Anfield before leaving for Manchester City in 2015, has endured a torrid few years after making the move to Stamford Bridge in 2022. Having struggled with the Blues, he was sent out on loan to Arsenal last season.
His time in north London though was no more successful as he made just 28 appearances across four competitions, scoring only one goal in the process before making his return to Chelsea.
Sterling was widely tipped to leave the Blues during the summer, but no transfer materialized. The Athletic has since reported that he turned down a loan move to Bayern Munich.
Having failed to find a new club, Sterling now finds himself frozen out of Enzo Maresca’s squad, despite being under contract until 2027. He has not made a single appearance so far this season, and is said to be training away from the Blues’ first team, marking quite the downfall for a player who is still only 30 years old.
But, while Emmanuel Petit admits to having some sympathy for Sterling, the former Chelsea midfielder insists the former Liverpool star has squandered his chances.
“I feel sorry for him but… What can I say?” Petit told OLBG. “It's hard for me to defend him because he disappeared from the pitch for years now.
“Since he signed this huge contract, he's not the same player on the pitch. He has had chances to prove that he was still a very good player so many times.
“Clubs and managers have put confidence in him and he has failed. So I can understand that it's very difficult for him to go through this situation. But this is the world we're living in.
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“When a club doesn't want a player, this is what happens. When a player doesn't want to stay at a club, he will do exactly the same. Look what happened with Alexander Isak at Newcastle.
“I'm surprised when people are surprised about that. And I'm surprised that people feel embarrassed and feel pity for people who are in this situation.
“At the end of the day, I think that Sterling could have made the best situation for himself by trying to do a deal with the club.
“If you want to stick with the contract he has, then he has to understand there are consequences for that.”
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