Ex-Liverpool star Raheem Sterling handed Chelsea lifeline by new manager

New Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has confirmed he will hold talks with Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi in the coming days to discuss their futures after both players were frozen out under previous boss Enzo Maresca

Raheem Sterling was frozen out of Chelsea's first team by Enzo Maresca(Image: Getty Images)

New Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has made it clear that discussing Raheem Sterling's future is high on his to-do list, given the winger's exclusion from the team under the previous management.

Former Liverpool star Sterling's chances of a comeback at the Blues seemed slim as he was relegated to the 'bomb squad' in London, training separately from the first team and at different times, with Enzo Maresca showing no inclination to reintegrate him.

Signed from Manchester City in 2023 for a hefty £47.5 million ($63.9 million), Sterling has struggled to justify the price tag at Chelsea. Last season saw him loaned out to Arsenal, but even there he remained a peripheral figure, playing only intermittently in recent seasons and leaving his career at a junction.

Rumors of a potential move to Fulham have been circulating, but Rosenior plans to sit down with Sterling and Axel Disasi, another player left out in the cold, to discuss their futures.

He said: "I will have conversations with them. We're in January, as you know.

"Raheem's had an outstanding career. I've got huge respect for him.

Liam Rosenior is the new Chelsea manager(Image: Getty Images)

"Axel is someone I've really, really liked as a player for a long time.

"Honestly, I have to have a conversation with them. I have to have a conversation with the club. I'm being genuinely honest. I literally have got to work through a list of priorities. I will do in the next few days."

Sterling departed Manchester having netted 131 goals during his time there. His stellar displays also earned him the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 2019, yet he's appeared a pale imitation of the player who flourished under Pep Guardiola.

At Chelsea, the former Liverpool star has managed a modest 19 goals in 81 appearances.

Rosenior oversaw his first Blues fixture when they thrashed Charlton in the FA Cup, and he maintains that, despite joining in January, his initial discussions with the hierarchy haven't focused on potential signings in the forthcoming weeks.

Chelsea has splashed enormous sums under various managers since Todd Boehly and his consortium took over, but the new boss believes his primary task is to work with the squad he's inherited.

"I also think sometimes the answers lie within the building and not outside," he said.

"So I'll make a decision on that with the guys. Probably later in the week when I've seen everyone."