Everton held talks to sign Raheem Sterling in recent weeks, but the former England international has chosen the guaranteed minutes at Feyenoord instead.
Sterling was of interest to Everton after his time at Chelsea was brought to a mutual end recently.
However, the 31-year-old has made the decision to move to the Eredivisie, where he feels he will be guaranteed the minutes to get his career back on track.
David Moyes has already shown with Jack Grealish that he is willing to bring in players who have not hit their high standards over recent years.
Sterling is certainly one of those players having seen his career stagnate ever since he departed Manchester City in 2022.
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Angus Kinnear quote on Everton owners The Friedkin Group.
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Despite the winger rejecting the opportunity to join Everton, his reasoning only goes to show how far the Blues have come.
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Tyrique George was brought in on loan from Chelsea for the remainder of the season to help with the injury suffered by Grealish.
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Iliman Ndiaye ahead of playing for Everton.
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Speaking on TalkSport, Alex Crook has said Everton were rejected by Sterling because he did not think he would play regular football.
“I’m told he held talks with several Premier League clubs including Everton,” he said.
“Despite the fact he’s got a lot of admiration for David Moyes, he just felt that going to Feyenoord probably offered him more opportunity to play week in and week out.”
Everton were snubbed by Sterling, but his reasoning is a major compliment to just how far the Blues have come under The Friedkin Group.
Instead of rejecting a move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium because of the club’s lack of ambition, it is actually the competition already on display at Everton that has deterred Sterling.
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