Sterling Leaves Liverpool FC!
With all the fuss about Raheem Sterling this week, this is a headline we may well see in the Summer. If it isn’t then there is something severely wrong with the so-called beautiful game. There are two ways to look at this and both come to the same conclusion. He will, likely leave Liverpool Football Club.
The first is my personal opinion. Sterling clearly feels his future lies elsewhere. Whether his head has been turned by a greedy agent as may often be the case, or he’s just fallen for the age old idea that the grass is greener on the other side. The fact is he seems to want out. He’s not the first Liverpool player to have done this and he certainly won’t be the last so what is all the fuss about? If the lad is unhappy, then it’s best Liverpool cash in on him now and make a healthy profit on a youngster Raffa Benitez brought from Queens Park Rangers for a mere £600,000 in 2010.
The 20 year-old will certainly be missed at Liverpool but in my opinion, there are quite a few more where he came from. Joron Ibe, Sheyi Ojo and Jerome Sinclair are but three who could step in over the next season or two to equal if not greater effect. The former, Ibe, has already shown arguably more promise. A year younger than Sterling, he has without doubt demonstrated, since his recall from a loan spell at Derby County what an exciting player he is and can be in the near future. To coin an old saying, “No player is bigger than the club” and with this in mind, it’s better to think “Raheem who…?” rather than “Raheem stay!”.
One thing is clear. Sterling is by no means the finished article. A claim made by many and which I believe to be true. His development would be best served by staying at least another two years at Anfield and by then, if he continues the way he is at the moment, he’ll have the world at his feet. Being also of Jamaican descent I’ll quote an expression Jamaicans know well. Not least young Raheem. If you can’t hear, then you must feel! This expression usually comes before a good ‘hiding‘ for having done something gravely wrong. However, the wider context is that if you don’t listen to good advice, then you’ll inevitably feel the consequences – which generally are not good!
The other side of the argument is that in this world of easy come, easy go, fast cars, fast women and faster footballers, loyalty is not a thing that sits snuggly therein. If Benitez hadn’t bought Sterling then Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson or someone else would have. Players generally go to the highest bidder and Liverpool were fortunate that they were probably the only ones at the time. The lad has to look after himself and his career. Anything can happen in football so he may as well make hay while sun shines and boy, is it shining brightly right now. He has become a regular in the Liverpool side and a seasoned England international. Not only that but he has become one of the lynch pins of both of those teams over the last 12 months.
Surely this merits a chance at the big time? Is Liverpool Big time? They have a big name, and a big history this is for sure but for now, the club’s idea of a big achievement is qualifying for European football. For Chelsea, Manchesters United and City, it’s to win the league AND European competition. Same can be said for Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, all of whom are reportedly interested. Unfortunately, the Liverpool team of today is not the Liverpool team it used to be. In reality, Liverpool never was a team that attracted – and kept – the very best players over the likes over those mentioned above. Many good players the club has had, have always left to pursue “other challenges” or to “test themselves against the best”. Graeme Souness, Kevin Keegan, Fernando Torres, Steve McManaman and Luis Suarez among others have all come and gone. Why shouldn’t the young England International be allowed to do the same?
The fact is and to echo my opinion, all those players Souness, Keegan, Torres et al have earned the right. They performed consistently over a number of seasons. Not just one or two as is the case with Sterling. Perhaps not with Liverpool but at another club. The right that comes with truly establishing oneself at his physical, mental, tactical best. The right that comes when nobody can question your ability. You’ve been there and done it. You can big-up your chest having bought the T-shirt. I wouldn’t put Sterling in this bracket just yet.
So, as the modern day game is, and with players holding all the cards, the power and the dough – a formidable hand in any game – it’s quite likely we’ll see the back of him this summer. And it’ll be heralded by a similar headline to this article. If it were up to me, I’d have been on the phone to one of the big boys already. A cheque for £50m, 50,000 grand or 10,000 ponies. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a great return on a £600,000 investment made five years ago. Not even Goldman Sachs could boast that kind of financial money-making prowess. It’s a shame. A great shame indeed but then, life moves on. Liverpool FC will likely be around long after Sterling the player and this is something we as fans need to accept.
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