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Premier League legend Alan Shearer has claimed that Chelsea have asked Raheem Sterling to find another club this summer. This comes after the Englishman was left out of their squad to face Manchester City on Sunday, August 18.
The Blues hosted the Premier League champions at Stamford Bridge in their season opener on Sunday. Sterling was left out of the squad despite having featured in the pre-season friendlies. His team also put out a statement, asking for better clarification about his role.
Alan Shearer has now claimed that the club have asked Sterling to leave this summer. He said on The Rest Is Football podcast (via Metro):
"I’m told that he’s trained all pre-season and was told on Friday that he’s probably best off looking elsewhere for a club because they’ve brought other people in in that position. As hard as that is and it will be for him because as far as I can remember he hasn’t been unprofessional at all at Chelsea.
"To have been told that on Friday, that would be pretty frustrating. Mark my words, this is not going to be the first case of player unrest at Chelsea. Enzo Maresca is going to have to deal with problems like this all season."
Enzo Maresca's side ended up losing 2-0 against Manchester City, with Erling Haaland (18') and Mateo Kovacic (84') scoring the two goals.
Raheem Sterling's statement after being left out of Chelsea's matchday squad against Manchester City
After the starting lineups were released for the clash between the Blues and Manchester City, Raheem Sterling's camp released a statement. It read (via The Independent):
“Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years. He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with."
“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.
"As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation. Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively.”
Sterling joined the west London side from Manchester City in the summer of 2022. He's made 81 appearances for them, scoring 19 goals and providing 12 assists. His current contract expires in 2027.
He featured in all of the club's pre-season friendlies this summer and also scored a goal in a 4-2 defeat against City.
