Raheem Sterling came to Chelsea FC as a celebrated superstar. Now the former wonderkid is clubless. What’s next for the perennially underrated winger?
“Thanks for the memories, Raheem Sterling,” a Chelsea fan wrote on X, posting a video of the winger nearly shooting a free-kick into central London.
Not much more remains in memory from Sterling’s time at Stamford Bridge. Once celebrated as a wonderkid, the Englishman moved to Chelsea in 2022 for around 56 million euros as club owner Todd Boehly’s first high-profile transfer – now, at just 31 years old, he is clubless.
It was the departure of a star, announced amicably and without much fuss on Wednesday. Sterling’s contract was actually still valid until 2027, with a reported weekly wage of 375,000 euros, which made him one of the highest-paid players in England.
The financial aspect was probably the decisive reason why a player who made a total of 577 appearances for Manchester City, Liverpool FC, Chelsea FC, and Arsenal FC was ultimately pushed out.
Sterling remained without an appearance for Chelsea since May 2024
“Sterling will receive a payoff from Chelsea, with the club saving money as the settlement is less than the more than 20 million euros he would have received had he completed the remaining year and a half of his contract,” the BBC wrote.
Raheem Sterling is looking for a new club
After more or less unsuccessful 28 appearances, mostly as a substitute, where he only scored one goal, Sterling returned to the Blues this season. However, he no longer featured and, as the last member of the so-called “Bomb Squad,” no longer trained with the team.
Besides Sterling, players like the recently rehabilitated Axel Disasi also belonged to this group, which was separated from the team in all areas. Be it in the form of a separate changing room, toilet, or similar aspects of everyday life as a professional footballer.
“We thank Raheem for his contribution as a Chelsea player and wish him all the best for the next phase of his career,” the club wrote briefly after announcing the “amicable” separation. Sterling, on the other hand, showed optimism and stated in an Instagram story: “All eyes on the future. God is great.”
The Rise of a Wonderkid
That a player of his caliber would practically be given away at just 31 years old seemed impossible just a few years ago. As a star of the generation meant to succeed the Lampards and Gerrards, Sterling once burst onto the Premier League scene as a wonderkid.
Less than four months after his 17th birthday, Sterling made his professional debut for Liverpool FC in the 2011/12 season, where he quickly made headlines. About half a year later, his first appearance for the English national team followed.
After receiving the Golden Boy Award as Europe’s best U21 player in 2014, a year later came the move for over 60 million euros to Manchester City. With the Citizens, the winger celebrated the most successful period of his career and significantly increased his personal goal tally. Sterling recorded eleven titles, including four championships, and individually outstanding seasons with a total of 131 goals and 86 assists under Pep Guardiola.
It was a clear letter of recommendation that should have convinced Chelsea of a transfer offensive, but ultimately ended in a blatant misunderstanding for all parties involved. Sterling’s former teammate Jamie Carragher nevertheless demanded in his column for The Telegraph : “While a new chapter begins for Raheem Sterling, his unspectacular departure from Chelsea should not overshadow the great achievements that have shaped his career so far.”
Carragher Raves About Sterling: “Both Blessed and Burdened”
Sterling is “both blessed and burdened by the memory of his meteoric breakthrough as a teenage superstar before reaching his sporting zenith in his mid-20s. He set the bar so high that this phase of his career inevitably feels like an anticlimax,” the former international further elaborated, adding: “By all standards, Sterling is one of the best English players of his generation.”
Jamie Carragher (bottom left) and Raheem Sterling (bottom right) played together for Liverpool
Sterling wants to prove that these qualities are still within him at another club in the future. “The 31-year-old is optimistic about flourishing again as a free agent and believes he still has a successful chapter of two or three years at the highest level ahead of him,” the Daily Mail described the Englishman’s ambitions.
He will likely look to successful players like Harry Kane (32), Bruno Fernandes (31), or Mohamed Salah (33), all of whom still belong to the world elite at a similar age.
Where Sterling will go in the future remains to be seen. The Voice , for example, speculated that Sterling “might just want to get back on the pitch.” Furthermore, English media consistently highlighted his desire for “security, stability, and football.”
Sterling’s Future: Fulham, Everton, Napoli, or a Completely Different Club?
According to the Daily Mail , numerous Champions League-level clubs have already inquired about Sterling – so can he even choose his future club? The report states that Sterling wants to continue playing at a top European level and not in Saudi Arabia or the MLS.
Sterling is also still keen on a club in London, even if he no longer categorically rules out a reorientation. For this reason, the tabloid cites FC Fulham as an interesting option for Sterling, especially since the club reportedly worked on a loan deal in the summer.
A controversial move to FC Everton, the arch-rival of his youth club Liverpool, could also be “appealing,” as his former teammate Jack Grealish also flourished under coach David Moyes at the Toffees. The most exciting option abroad, however, is considered to be SSC Napoli, “not least because of the close friendship between his family and Kevin De Bruyne’s from their shared city days.”
Particularly surprising, however, were reports that Sterling was apparently also offered to Bundesliga club Union Berlin. “Sometimes you have to rub your eyes. In this case, it didn’t seem truly serious. We didn’t pursue it further,” Horst Heldt, managing director of professional football at the ‘Iron Ones,’ announced on Deadline Day on Sky .
A move to the Bundesliga will at least not happen in the second half of the season, as unattached players cannot be signed in Germany after the end of the winter transfer window. In Italy, England, or Spain, however, the rules are significantly more lenient.
The Eventful Past of the Premier League Star
It wouldn’t be the first time Sterling has fought his way to the top despite all odds. He had to overcome several hurdles on his way to becoming a professional. Sterling was born and grew up in a troubled neighborhood of the Jamaican capital Kingston; his father was murdered when he was just two years old.
His mother subsequently sought a better life in England to help the family. Sterling also came to London a few years later. As he once recounted in Players’ Tribune , he witnessed crime and violence there too. He ended up in a school for children with behavioral problems. One of his teachers is said to have once said about Sterling: “If he continues like this, he will either play for England or end up in prison.”
Can Sterling still make the World Cup squad?
Sterling played for England and wants to celebrate successful times again in the future – perhaps even making it into the World Cup squad by summer. He last played for England at the 2022 World Cup. The Three Lions are currently coached by Thomas Tuchel, the coach under whom Sterling once had a promising start at Chelsea.
But even if his career doesn’t experience a second spring, Sterling’s achievements cannot be taken away from him.
“Had Raheem Sterling’s career ended with his departure from Manchester City four years ago, he would have achieved more by the age of 27 than most do in an entire lifetime,” Carragher claimed, adding: “A certain unjustified criticism has accompanied him for years and could explain why recently only a few Chelsea fans worried about his exile and many welcomed his departure.”