da apostaganha： In case you missed it, Raheem Sterling has given quite the controversial interview. Speaking to the BBC, the 20-year-old Liverpool man revealed that he’s rejected a £100,000-per-week contract offer, is flattered by links with Arsenal and is has his heart set on trophies.
da heads bet： Read a little between the lines and his future at Anfield looks very, very bleak. The Reds are reluctant to pay big wages, Arsenal are practically guaranteed Champions League football and a trophy hasn’t been won in the red half of Merseyside since the League Cup in 2012, and they’ve never lifted the Premier League’s iconic piece of silverware.
Further to this, Brendan Rodgers’ side are believed to be incensed by Sterling’s words, with the interview he gave one that was not sanctioned by the club – seemingly more so than they ever were when Luis Suarez was fluttering his eye lashes at any club paying him attention back in 2013.
Sterling is a talented player, there’s not doubting that. In Europe there are very, very few stars of his technical and ability in his age bracket, and his home grown status – albeit he was snatched from QPR’s youth ranks – is useful in an era of quotas. However, there are alternatives out there, and plenty of options for Rodgers to ponder.
Gone are the days in which Liverpool paid large fees and massive wages to aging stars, with Fenway Sports Group’s policy more in line with attracting emerging talent with ‘sell on potential’. Although this is a little soulless and out of line with the way many fans want to see their club run, there are still plenty of players to ponder for similar money in terms of transfer fees and wages.
Memphis Depay is one to have been linked with the Reds, and as the stats show, he’s certainly a better getter of goals. The Dutchman has 17 Eredvisie strikes this season for PSV Eindhoven to his name from a wide attacking role, which works out as 0.71-per-game. Goals in the Netherlands don’t always travel across to England, but Luciano Vietto and Mauro Icardi, of Villarreal and Inter Milan respectively, offer better returns than Sterling per game, and have been plying their trades in top quality leagues. Another target in the shape of Chelsea’s Oscar offers a slightly superior return in front of the net – the Brazilian is also better in terms of assists and boasts figures in line with Sterling’s chance creation and key passes.
This quartet of stars are all 23 or youngster (Oscar, the oldest, will turn 24 in September), and all would certainly be available for lower fees than the £50m being demanded for Sterling. To boot, they would all command wages below the rumoured £180,000-per-week the England international is ready to reject. So similar returns, similar ages, lower fees… not bad business.
It’s only fair to take in the negatives of selling a talent like Sterling, though. Letting an undoubtedly excellent prospect leave would be another blow for the Reds, who are now in danger of becoming a bona fide selling club. Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano, Luis Suarez… all have left Anfield for ‘bigger and better’ things since 2009. This era has been an unsuccessful one for the Merseyside giants, who, aside from last season, have been outside of the top four and struggling for a sense of identity. Also, what sort of message does it send to the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho? Surely they won’t want to see the team broken down around them.
But, as the club did when Torres left by signing Suarez, they can repair the issue. Sterling is not anywhere near as complete as any of the players mentioned above, so perhaps getting in an alternative for someone who’s had his head turned is the best thing all round.
As with everything in life, the world will keep turning and we’ll keep breathing. Losing Sterling would not be the end for Liverpool. In fact with a player like Depay, Vietto, Oscar or Icardi (there are many others, too) a new era could start, and the bridges being burned by Raheem could lead to a better place.
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