Why Raheem Sterling is RIGHT to leave Liverpool contract talks until the end of the season - 7M sport

Why Raheem Sterling is RIGHT to leave Liverpool contract talks until the end of the season



Posted Tuesday, March 31, 2015 by Dailystar.co.uk

RAHEEM STERLING is risking Liverpool fans turning on him, but the wing wizard is right to leave contract talks until the summer.

However, he must realise that Anfield is the best place for him at the moment even if the lure of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Arsenal is so very tempting.

Kop boss Brendan Rodgers spoke recently about how the club got Sterling solely focused on football since he took over at Anfield in 2012.

Sterling, 20, has been a challenge to develop and Rodgers has gone out of his way to make sure it happened.

A winger gifted with amazing talent and a brilliant work ethic on the pitch, but away from football his personal life threatened to derail his career.

The England international was twice charged with assault before he even turned 19.

Rodgers knew he had to sort it out and some frank discussions finally got the message through to a player destined for big things.

Now all he thinks about is football, and there is no doubt his future in the game has been swirling around his head in recent months.

His performances of late have been far from the stunning standards he set last season and the uncertainty may have had an effect on him.

Why Raheem Sterling is RIGHT to leave Liverpool contract talks until the end of the season
RISKING IT ALL: Sterling's future is up in the air

That is why leaving it all to the summer and just concentrating on playing for Liverpool now is the best way to go.

There are lots of things to consider come May for the player who will have just two years left on his contract by then.

Money is obviously one of them - any footballer who says otherwise is not telling the truth.

At least Sterling is honest and up front about it, even if you do not agree with the player and his agent Aidy Ward turning down the staggering sums already offered.

He should have accepted the deal of around £90,000-a-week plus bonuses that would have soared to over £100,000, but he chose not to. Rightly or wrongly, he wants more.

Another issue is if Liverpool is still the best place for his development. It clearly is, but Sterling may not have realised that yet.

There is no other club above Liverpool’s level where he will get such regular game time and a young manager who has total faith in him.

He is also concerned about playing in the wing-back role of late, but that is only temporary.

Why Raheem Sterling is RIGHT to leave Liverpool contract talks until the end of the season
MUST STAY: Rodgers has urged Sterling to stay put

Rodgers will no doubt strengthen in the summer and Sterling can seek assurances come May that next term he will be back giving defenders headaches in attack.

Champions League football is a priority for every player nowadays it seems and the Reds still have a chance of returning to Europe’s elite.

But even if they fail, will it really hold him back by missing out on it for another year?

Would he develop that much more by playing a bit-part role for Madrid or Bayern in the top competition?

He will have to think hard about that, so leaving it until the summer is the right call as a decision now could feel wrong in two months’ time.

Sterling has the chance to increase his worth by then too if he focuses on his football and fires the Reds into the top four with some of the scintillating displays that got him recognised as a star last term.

He was brave enough – advised by his agent or not – to walk into Rodgers’ office and tell him he wanted to wait until the summer to sort it all out.

Now he has to show thick skin to take any flak that may come with that choice.

Nobody wants to wait, but sometimes it is the best way to get the right outcome.

Rodgers and Liverpool’s supporters will hope that outcome is Sterling’s signature on a new contract in May.



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