After Chelsea explicitly stated that they don’t have Raheem Sterling in their plans for the future, the English winger is now looking for options elsewhere.
The most recent development that fans with Liverpool tickets are after is that he could return to Liverpool.
Sterling, who had previously played for the club, was a fan favourite at Anfield.
But the question now tends to be whether Sterling would be comfortable not being a starting player at the club.
Sterling to Liverpool?
Raheem Sterling spent five years at Liverpool, and a return is still in the cards now that the winger is weighing up his options and being offered to clubs after being frozen out at Chelsea.
Raheem Sterling is headed for the exit door at Chelsea, and rumours are swirling about where he will end up next—with his comments about his former club, Liverpool, raising eyebrows.
Blues boss Enzo Maresca has cast out the 29-year-old and is now looking to reignite his career after an underwhelming spell at Stamford Bridge. The winger has been offered to Aston Villa.
However, the England international’s affection for his former club is evident. Sterling spent five years at the Reds before moving to Manchester City for a whopping £49million deal.
He has constantly spoken in favour of his first club, Liverpool, across the media, stating that it is a club that is close to his heart. This sentiment has always made Sterling a touching player in the hearts of all the Liverpool fans with tickets.
The Current Situation
Liverpool have yet to enter the transfer market this summer and have made no enquiries about their former player. Yet, with Sterling reportedly once keen on a return to Anfield and Arne Slot looking for the right deal, there could be a scenario where Sterling dons the red shirt once again—though the club is currently more focused on younger players and a new midfielder.
The Athletic reported that Sterling would have rejoined Liverpool in the summer of 2022. However, that was seen as a non-starter, so he opted for Chelsea. Speaking on an Instagram chat back in 2020, Sterling made illuminating comments about his former club after he was asked if a return to Liverpool would be feasible.
But the question arises again of where Sterling would slot in on this Liverpool side with quite a few starters.
Experts indicate that Sterling would not be a starting number but more of a player who could play an impact role off the bench.
“Would I ever go back to Liverpool? I love Liverpool,” he said. “Don’t get it twisted; they are always in my heart. It’s a team that (has) done a lot for me growing up.”
It appears unlikely that Sterling’s departure from Liverpool was marred by bad blood. However, with the Reds’ pursuit of Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon stalling, the bid indicates that Slot’s side are looking to add a silky wideman to their ranks this summer. With Sterling now available, a solution to both camps’ issues could be solved in one fell swoop.
Sterling is considering his options after Maresca banished him from training at Chelsea.
His exclusion comes after his camp released a bombshell statement after being left out of the Blues squad to face Manchester City on the Premier League’s opening weekend.
Maresca has insisted that Sterling’s omission was for football reasons, as he claimed he likes a particular type of winger in his side.
With Sterling’s stay at Chelsea now all but certain to have come to an end, he has also been linked with several clubs, including Juventus and PSG.
Sepp van den Berg Signs for Brentford
The west London club will pay their Premier League counterparts a guaranteed fee of £ 20 million, with a further £5m potentially following in add-ons.
The Merseyside club also retain a 17.5 per cent sell-on clause as part of the agreement.
The Dutch defender joins on a five-year contract after completing his medical.
The Athletic reported on Tuesday that the centre-back was on the verge of securing a permanent move away from Anfield, and his exit was finally negotiated on Thursday.
Despite interest from several leading European clubs, including German champions Bayer Leverkusen, the 22-year-old opted for a move to Brentford after holding positive discussions with Thomas Frank and the club’s hierarchy. However, the ones with Liverpool tickets still can’t come to terms with the move.
His Anfield departure leaves head coach Arne Slot with Virgil van Dijk, Jarell Quansah, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez as his remaining centre-back options for the 2024-25 season.
This is not a situation that manager Arne Slot planned for in his first season in charge, and those with Liverpool tickets adamantly think that their defences are understaffed and that Liverpool has pressing concerns.
Gomez’s future is uncertain after leaving the matchday squad for Liverpool’s opening-day win at Ipswich Town. Fellow centre-back Nat Phillips is also expected to leave Liverpool in this window and attracted interest from Turkish outfit Trabzonspor earlier this summer.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are yet to make a signing this summer.
Van den Berg becomes Brentford’s fourth signing of the summer and the second from Liverpool following Fabio Carvalho’s arrival earlier this month. They have also signed Igor Thiago and Ji-soo Kim.
Van den Berg joined the Merseyside club in 2019 in a £4.4m move from Eredivisie club PEC Zwolle.
The Netherlands youth international made four senior appearances for the club during Jurgen Klopp’s reign, spending most of that time on loan at Preston North End, Schalke and Mainz.
No Signings Yet for Liverpool
One of the most pressing matters on social media amongst the loyal supporters with Liverpool tickets is that the club hasn’t made any signings.
But manager Arne Slot has spoken and reassured that the team is in good condition.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has said that the club’s lack of signings during the summer transfer window is not a sign of weakness and emphasised the strength of his existing squad.
Slot hosted his first prematch news conference on Saturday ahead of Liverpool’s opening game against Ipswich Town and said, “If you don’t strengthen, you become weaker. I don’t understand that. It’s not always true that if you bring in new players, a team becomes stronger.”
Despite this, Slot praised his predecessor, Jürgen Klopp, for the current strength of the squad.
“Jürgen left the team in a good place,” he said. “I said many times our squad is really strong, and finding players who can strengthen us is difficult.”
Liverpool did attempt to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi, but a failed pursuit left them without a signing as the Premier League season begins.
There’s still time for the transfer window to close, and all with Liverpool tickets anxiously wait for a new signing.
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