Sterling could be on his way out of Chelsea(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)

What Raheem Sterling was allegedly told at Chelsea that led to his bombshell statement

Raheem Sterling was left out of Chelsea's squad for their Premier League opener against Manchester City - a decision that has left his future at the club in doubt

19 Aug 2024, 10:25 by Chris Burns · football.london

Alan Shearer has sensationally claimed he heard that Raheem Sterling was told he should "probably" be on the lookout for a new club.

The Premier League's opening weekend sprung a surprise when Sterling was omitted from Enzo Maresca's matchday squad for Chelsea's 2-0 loss to Manchester City. The England international's representatives issued a statement before the game expressing their shock at his absence, despite having completed a full pre-season with the squad.

Since his switch from City in the summer of 2022, Sterling's tenure at Stamford Bridge has been a mixed affair. However, on The Rest is Football podcast, former Newcastle striker Shearer informed host Gary Lineker that he had heard not only are Chelsea looking to recruit players who could replace Sterling, but that the ex-City player was notified of the club's decision days before it became public knowledge, reports the Mirror.

"I'm told, Gary, that he's trained all pre-season and was told on Friday that he's probably maybe best off looking elsewhere for a club, because they're probably bringing other people in that will be in his position," Shearer disclosed. Speculation about the 29-year-old's future at the Blues has been rife in recent months, even though he was a consistent presence in their pre-season preparations.

The possibility that Chelsea head coach Maresca could bring in more players to compete with Sterling would of course unsettle the forward. With talents like Pedro Neto, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer already challenging him for a position in the side, the former Liverpool star might view this as a sign of being edged out of the club.

Shearer empathised with Sterling's disappointment about being left out, citing the player's professionalism and behaviour since his transfer to Chelsea. He said: "As hard as that is, and it will be absolutely, because as far as I can remember, he hasn't been unprofessional at all at Chelsea.

"So when you've worked that hard, when you're at that football club and you've played a part where the people agree whether he's been good or bad or indifferent, to have been told that on a Friday, then I think that would be pretty frustrating."

Despite the dispute, Maresca was firm about his decision to drop Sterling. In response to queries regarding omitting the winger from his first Premier League squad, he said: "It happens many times. The manager has to make some decisions. Sometimes players don't like it, that's normal. Just a technical decision, no more than that. We'll see in the next days."

Alan Shearer revealed the Sterling news on The Rest is Football podcast(Image: (Image: The Rest is Football))

Despite bagging eight goals and serving up four assists last term over 31 league appearances, Sterling couldn't secure a spot in England's Euro 2024 squad. He also found himself in and out of Mauricio Pochettino's team and lately the winger has been linked with a switch to Juventus.

Yet, a strong message from Sterling's camp has looked to play down exit talk, affirming his allegiance to the Stamford Bridge side. The statement read: "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.

Enzo Maresca spoke about Sterling ahead of the City clash(Image: beIN Sports)

"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."

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