Raheem Sterling's nightmare Chelsea spell ends as ex-Liverpool star now without a club

Raheem Sterling finds himself without a club, with the former Liverpool star having been immediately released by Chelsea after nearly four years at Stamford Bridge

Raheem Sterling has been released by Chelsea after nearly four years at the club(Image: Getty Images)

Raheem Sterling’s nightmare spell at Chelsea has finally come to an end, with the former Liverpool star having been released after three-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge.

The 31-year-old’s departure was confirmed on Wednesday, with Chelsea announcing that an agreement had been reached by mutual consent for Sterling to depart immediately, despite still having 18 months left on his contract.

The England international joined the Blues from Manchester City in the summer of 2022, but struggled to find the same form he showed at the Etihad. He has been out of favor at Chelsea since 2024, having moved on loan to Arsenal last season.

“We thank Raheem for the contribution he made while a Chelsea player and wish him well for the next stage in his career,” a short statement from Chelsea said.

Sterling, who enjoyed his breakthrough while at Liverpool, was the first signing made by Chelsea under the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership, with the winger reported to have been earning around £325,000 ($447,812) a week.

He would go on to make 81 appearances for the club, all of which came during his first two seasons at the club before he fell out of favor. A loan move to Arsenal followed in 2024, although he continued to struggle, starting only 13 times for the Gunners and scoring just once.

Raheem Sterling spent last season on loan at Arsenal, but made just 13 starts for the club(Image: Getty Images)

Chelsea was keen to move him on during the summer, but Sterling’s wages and his reluctance to move away from London (as per The Guardian) made it difficult for a transfer to go through.

New Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior had seemingly thrown Sterling a lifeline earlier this month, having revealed he would hold talks with him on his future.

"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.

"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."

Just two weeks on from Rosenior’s comments though, Sterling now finds himself as a free agent, with his career at a standstill.

It’s a far cry from the youngster who burst onto the scene at Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers, where he formed part of a deadly attack alongside Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge as the Reds narrowly missed out on the Premier League title in 2014.

He would go on to secure a move to City a year later in a £49M ($68M) deal after a contract dispute at Anfield, and would go on to win four Premier League titles during his time at the Etihad, as well as an FA Cup and five League Cups.