Two ex-Arsenal players in trouble at new club as expert gives inside scoop

Raheem Sterling joined Feyenoord in February to relaunch his career but his underwhelming start in the Eredivisie may put an Arsenal legend in a tight spot

Former Arsenal star Raheem Sterling arrived in Rotterdam harbouring ambitions of revitalising his career at Feyenoord. Yet a lacklustre beginning at De Kuip could seal not only his own fate but that of another familiar face in north London - Robin van Persie.

Van Persie, who faced Sterling during their respective spells at Manchester United and Liverpool, now finds himself battling to keep his job. Feyenoord are currently second in the Eredivisie but trail league leaders PSV by 15 points following just one victory in their last four matches.

Sterling, 31, joined the Dutch giants in February after agreeing to tear up his £325,000-a-week deal at Chelsea. While his arrival was initially met with considerable excitement, Dutch football expert Michael Statham outlined how Feyenoord supporters now feel somewhat disappointed by his contribution thus far.

"I think the expectations aren't as high as they might have been if he were at an English club," Statham told the Mirror. "I think at Feyenoord what has helped is that the fans are aware of English football, they watch English football but they're not going to obsess over it. But they've obviously gone, 'Oh wow, there's a star from England that's come to join us', and it was exciting for the fans.

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"However, I do think that there have been some comments, there have been some people [who are] maybe not thinking it's the most successful move and are a bit surprised he's not actually as good as people thought he would be."

Statham, who manages a Dutch football-focused account on X (@FootballOranje\_), went on to highlight Sterling's displays have shown improvement over time. He has established himself within Van Persie's starting line-up following a couple of substitute appearances, contributing one assist across five outings in total.

Securing a top-two league finish remains absolutely critical for Van Persie to rebuild confidence among the supporters. Yet with surprise contenders NEC Nijmegen and Ajax snapping at their heels, the wager on Sterling providing the quality needed to see them through may yet prove misguided.

"The way Feyenoord probably see it, and this is me speculating, they are having a terrible season," Statham continued. "They need to qualify for the Champions League for next season and that money is massive to the club because they go straight into the league phase by finishing second. There's no chance of winning the league, so it's all about finishing second."

"And with Van Persie struggling, they don't want to pull the trigger on getting rid of him. But they thought, 'Bring in Sterling and his wage over X games that he's got left before the end of the season is less than the money we'll get in the Champions League next season'.

"I think at Feyenoord what has helped is that the fans are aware of English football, they watch English football but they're not going to obsess over it. But they've obviously gone, 'Oh wow, there's a star from England that's come to join us', and it was exciting for the fans.

"So it's a gamble worth taking because paying his wage for the rest of the season, it's like, well if we pay this we're probably going to get Champions League football because we know that with him and his talents [we'll likely qualify].So they've kind of put that faith in him that it will make a difference. Ultimately, I don't think it'll make a difference..."

Even a third-place finish in the Eredivisie would secure Feyenoord a spot in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Yet with just five points separating them from Ajax in fourth, their place among European football's elite remains far from guaranteed.

It was always going to require some adjustment before Sterling found his feet in Dutch football. Despite making 28 appearances on loan at Arsenal last season, only 13 of those were as part of the starting XI.

The season before that, the England international contributed 10 goals and 11 assists for Chelsea. It is arguably that form which supporters in Rotterdam were most eager to witness for themselves.

Naturally, the responsibility for delivering results this term extends well beyond Sterling alone. Nevertheless, there's no escaping the considerable weight of expectation that his arrival places on both the player and Van Persie's shoulders alike.