Liam Rosenior knows he needs to address the Raheem Sterling situation at Chelsea with the winger frozen out under the previous regime amid talk of a transfer elsewhere
Raheem Sterling had been frozen out at Chelsea
Raheem Sterling had been frozen out at Chelsea(Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
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New Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior insists having talks with Raheem Sterling about his future is firmly on his agenda with the winger frozen out under the previous regime.
Sterling's hopes of a Blues return were all but over with the Englishman stuck in the 'bomb squad' in west London. He was training separately from the first-team and at different times with Enzo Maresca showing no desire to bring him back into the fold.
Sterling was signed from Manchester City in 2023 for £47.5million but has failed to live up to that price tag. He was loaned out last term to Arsenal, but he remained a squad player there and has only played sporadically in recent seasons with his career at a crossroads.
There has been talk of a switch, potentially to Fulham, but Rosenior is planning to talk to Sterling and Axel Disasi, another player whose out in the cold, about what the futures hold for them.
He said: "I will have conversations with them. We're in January, as you know. Raheem's had an outstanding career. I've got huge respect for him. Axel is someone I've really, really liked as a player for a long time.
"Honestly, I have to have a conversation with them. I have to have a conversation with the club. I'm being genuinely honest. I literally have got to work through a list of priorities. I will do in the next few days."
Sterling moved to Chelsea off the back of a spell in Manchester that saw him score 131 times. His performances also saw him named as the FWA Footballer of the Year back in 2019, but he's looked a shadow of the player that shone so brightly under Pep Guardiola. At Chelsea he's managed just 19 goals across 81 outings.
Liam Rosenior is plotting some frank conversations with certain players
Liam Rosenior is plotting some frank conversations with certain players(Image: (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images))
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Rosenior took charge of his first Blues game when they hammered Charlton in the FA Cup and he insists, despite arriving in January, that his immediate conversations with the hierarchy has not been about who he can sign in the coming weeks.
Chelsea have spent fortunes under several different managers since Todd Boehly and co arrived, but the new man at the helm believes his first remit is to work with the players he's inherited.
"I also think sometimes the answers lie within the building and not outside," he said. "So I'll make a decision on that with the guys. Probably later in the week when I've seen everyone."
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