Ex-England striker Raheem Sterling, 29, is working hard to find a new club this summer following the confirmation that he does not feature in Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca’s plans. After speaking to Maresca following training on Friday, Sterling now realizes his place in the squad and is seeking to jumpstart his career with a move ahead of next week’s deadline.
Notably, Sterling did not make the Chelsea squad for the Premier League opener against Manchester City, which gave fans a gut feeling that he was leaving the club. With three years remaining on his £300k-a-week contract, his high wages are drawing interest from Saudi clubs now, who seem to be the very few teams that would pay such a salary.
Although Maresca has publicly announced that he “wants” Sterling at Chelsea, he further admitted that it’s hard to manage this kind of bloated squad now crossing above 40 players. Keeping Sterling to very few minutes in the opening match suggested a view that his playing time under Maresca would be few and far between this season.
With the deadline drawing closer, Sterling is holding out for offers that may do something to get his career back on track with game time.
