Raheem Sterling’s Chelsea future in doubt after statement hits out at Man City squad snub

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca offered no assurances that Raheem Sterling will remain part of the club’s squad beyond this transfer window, after dropping the winger from his matchday squad for their opening-game defeat by Manchester City.

Sterling has demanded answers over his long-term future at Chelsea after he was not even given a place on the bench in their meeting against his former club. In a statement from his camp, it was made clear that Sterling expected to be involved in the game, which Chelsea lost 2-0.

Maresca said it was a “technical decision” to omit the 29-year-old, who is among Chelsea’s highest earners and has three years remaining on his current contract.

Asked whether Sterling will still be a Chelsea player next month, Maresca said he did not know and then added that “some” members of his bloated squad will need to leave in the coming weeks.

“I don’t know,” said Maresca of Sterling’s future. “The only thing I can say is that it was a technical decision and in the next day, we will want to sit and clarify the situation, but it is nothing more than that.

“I want Raheem Sterling but I want all the 30 players we have. But there is no space for them. So for some of them, they have to leave.”

In a statement released before kick-off, Sterling’s representatives had said: “Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years.

“He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.

“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.

“As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation.

“Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively.”

Former England international Micah Richards accused Sterling and his camp of “trying to make noise” with their statement. Speaking on Sky Sports, Richards said: “We’ve all been left out though, haven’t we? We’ve all been left out and we’ve all wanted to put statements out but Raheem and his team know exactly what they’re doing.

“They’re trying to make noise. The thing with Chelsea is there is already a lot of noise around the club anyway.

“Putting that statement out before the game, it’s not good enough. And I love Raheem as a player. I spent loads of time with him at Man City, interviewed him as a player, really nice guy. But it doesn’t matter, we’re talking about the facts of today. That is not going to help your team-mates, it’s probably not going to help his case of getting him back into the team.

“The best way to get the manager to pick you is to play well in training, work hard, wait for your chance and take it. We’ve all been there. We understand his frustration. Would I have picked Raheem in the squad? 100 per cent, but the manager has not picked him today and he needs to deal with that as a professional and try to do the best he can possibly do.

“We all talk about when managers come out and say things publicly about players, we say: ‘he shouldn’t do that, it’s not good enough’. And now he’s come out and basically called his manager out and he’s let his team-mates down. He’s better than that and he knows it.”

Sources close to Sterling have said the statement was issued in response to an approach from a national newspaper, rather than being a move made deliberately at this time.

There is similar uncertainty over the future of a number of Chelsea players. Conor Gallagher is yet to finalise his transfer to Atletico Madrid, Ben Chilwell has been told he can leave the club and Trevoh Chalobah has been barred from using the club’s first-team facilities.

Gallagher, Romelu Lukaku and Armando Broja were not even listed as part of Chelsea’s squad in their matchday programme for the meeting with City.

Midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka has also been shown towards the exit door, with Maresca saying on Sunday: “Carney, I think he is a very good player. The problem is, because of some injuries in the past, I think the best for him is to play 30 or 35 games in a row, to show himself that he is fit and how good he is, because he is very good. With us, is he going to play 35 games? I’m not sure.”

Meanwhile, City manager Pep Guardiola said Erling Haaland’s goalscoring prowess is reaching the same levels as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, after he struck the first goal at Stamford Bridge. It was his 91st goal in 100 City appearances.

“He has the numbers for Messi and Ronaldo, who controlled the last decade, 15 years,” said Guardiola. “In terms of numbers, it is that level. I don’t know how he does it, but in 100 games scoring 91 goals, in this country, is unbelievable.”