As Chelsea prepare for action in the third tier of European football, they watched on as one of their loanees enjoyed a stellar performance in the Champions League.
Raheem Sterling picked up two assists as a much-changed Arsenal side drew 2-2 with PSV, seeing them advance 9-3 on aggregate.
The winger was given a rare 90 minutes to impress, with opportunities being hard to come by at the Emirates the season for him.
Raheem Sterling vs PSV Total
Minutes 90
Assists 2
Shots 3
Big chances missed 2
Chances created 3
Even in an injury crisis that has impacted the likes of Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, the England international has struggled to gain the faith of manager Mikel Arteta to start for the Gunners.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Raheem Sterling thankful he left Chelsea to join Arsenal
However, Sterling no longer feels frozen out after what had been the nightmare start to the 2024/25 season when he was still at Chelsea.
Enzo Maresca made the big call to leave him out of the first squad of the season to take on Manchester City, something which prompted Sterling’s camp to make an official statement.
It was clear the winger was not in the new managers plans despite being a regular during the pre-season campaign.
It wouldn’t be until deadline day with Sterling would get his move, and even though things haven’t worked out, he is very happy still that the opportunity arose.
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According to Mail Plus, Sterling was desperate to leave Chelsea after the treatment of him on opening day, as well as being unable to access first team facilities.
The report goes on to say that the PFA were called in due to how bad relations had got between the player and his parent club.
Raheem Sterling’s future
Despite Sterling making it clear that he would love to stay at Arsenal, there are no guarantees that deal gets done.
So far, there have been no talks of Arsenal making Sterling’s deal permanent, which would send them back to the drawing board when it comes to sorting out his future.
It is clear that does not lie at Stamford Bridge, and they will need to start the process again of finding an interested party.
Given the winger’s age, he may be forced to take a significant pay cut in order to find the new home. He will return as Chelsea’s highest paid player.