1 Apr 2015

Legend raves: Sign 'dream' £26m attacker and 'play him where he wants!'

History seems to be repeating itself. During Luis Suarez's desperate year-long campaign to quit Anfield, Arsenal emerged as a key contender for his signature, and new reports suggest that the Gunners are also interested in signing Anfield mercenary Raheem Sterling. Great news if you ask me!

According to The Independent this week:

"Arsene Wenger [is] ready to make a move for the youngster [Sterling] in the summer.

"Arsenal have made 'discreet enquiries' about Sterling, who is also wanted by Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich".


Arsenal legend Ian Wright is in favour of a move for £26m-rated Sterling. Earlier this week, he tweeted:

"Come on Arsene! Go in and get "Raheem the dream Sterling " from Liverpool and play him where he wants!"

My views on this issue are well established: I couldn't care less if Liverpool sell Sterling, and I'd be happy to see the Reds flog him to the highest bidder for an extortionate amount of money.

Reds fans are increasingly peddling the myth that Sterling is somehow 'irreplaceable', and that he has 'carried' Liverpool this season, but with the greatest respect, that's just revisionist nonsense. Consider the following facts:

* 17 games without a goal between Sep 20th and December 17th.
* ONE goal in the last 9 games. At the crunch time of the season, Sterling is AWOL.
* 3 assists in the last 23 games.
* 3 goals in the last 23 Premier League games.

And this is worth £120K+ a week? In a Seinfeldian bizarro-world, perhaps, but not in the real world. Liverpool will easily survive without Sterling, whose average goals/assists ratio is easy to replace.

In any event, Arsene Wenger is too shrewd to fall for the Sterling hype, and I doubt he'll pursue a transfer. Plus, in Theo Walcott, Arsenal already have at least one raging mercenary, so why bring in another?

Additionally, Wenger will surely know that he'll face similar problems at some point in the future. After a year, Sterling will probably demand another pay-rise, and then hold the Gunners to ransom in a bid to bump up his salary. Footballer 101.

At Liverpool, Sterling is practically guaranteed to play most games, but at Arsenal, he'll be just another player, way down the pecking order behind world stars such as Sanchez and Ozil, who've actually achieved something in the game.

Sterling will also be miss out on the the inherent goodwill from fans that comes with making it through the LFC academy, and he'll be saddled with the pressure of a (hopefully) humungous transfer fee.

Well, so be it! As the saying goes: be careful what you wish for, as you just might get it. Significantly better players have left Anfield in the past and the club hasn't folded, so why will it be any different now?

Liverpool can and will survive without Sterling, and in my view, the sooner he leaves, the better.

Author:


61 comments:

  1. He could well be disciplined for today's interview and dropped for Arsenal match. FSG won't bend to his contract demands.

    He will end up at City or Chelsea, he had better choose City for his own sake. Chelsea fans aren't the patient type.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with EVERYTHING. Sterling is completely replaceable at his current ability, even by players within he squad now (Ibe). Personally, sell him for 30M+, buy Depay for 20M, and earn 10M to go towards a new GK.

    ReplyDelete
  3. what kind of fee do we think he will go for?
    30 miil?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I honestly think a move abroad is more likely. He's not an idiot to rot on Chelsea's bench behind Hazard, and I don't think he'll fancy a move to any Manchester side. No other teams have the pull power to sign him in the EPL.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well said jaimie I have been saying this all season, He still has a hell of a lot to learn and if he does go any where else he wont get many games, So yes sell him to any fool who thinks he is a good player. One player that I did like was the Blackburn center forward cant think of his name but he had a very good game against us with some great touches, Does anybody else agree ?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm pretty tired of hearing stories about Sterling, everything is based on guesswork... No one really knows what motivates him, and people rarely care for the facts these days either...I think a wait and see policy is probably the most reasonable course of action... and I say that knowing full well I have had my 2 cents worth on the subject.... Turning against the kid without the facts is a dangerous game aswell... Infact, it could be the catalyst in his departure where a departue may never have been on the cards.....
    What I do find amussing though is Arsenals apparent desperation to get their hands on our players, and the idea they even think we'd sell to them in the first place... Yeah, help yourself to our mediocre players, but FSG will not sanction the sale of out better players to direct rivals... If he does go, it will be abroad...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Totally agree. Sell him to the highest bidder!! With ibe, Ojo and Sinclair coming thru we have plenty of exciting young talent to replace mercenary sterling. Get 50 mil and invest wisely (easier said than done tho for us)

    ReplyDelete
  8. The club should fine sterling and tell him he'll be sold to the highest bidder in the summer. I'm absolutely hate this kid now, he really does believe he's a better player than he really is.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Well said jaimie, I agree with all that you have said as I have been saying this all season, SELL him to another mug and lets see how long they put up with his poor displays.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yes Mat, We have plenty of better youngsters than him coming through.

    ReplyDelete
  11. To Arsenal would be better.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Raheem Sterling said it's not about money, he wants to win trophies.Surely Arsenal should be off the menu then.The FA Cup last season hardly makes them a trophy winning machine.However i have a hunch North London would be his ideal destination.
    If Sterling went to Chelsea, how does Oscar (recently linked) and cash sound?

    ReplyDelete
  13. I agree. Newspapers are forever saying things like 'The Independent understands that'...... that clubs 'are ready to.... or poised to.... or set to....
    If they are such discreet enquiries, how the hell would the Independent know about it? Are they asking us to believe that Arsenal would tip them off following a discreet enquiry? What would be the point of being discreet then?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Honestly, I'd rather just take the cash.. I'd prefer Depay or Firmino over Oscar personally...

    ReplyDelete
  15. He's a pretty unlikable chap in all honesty. Speaks like a dumbass in public too. If he had just said straight out that he wants to see what the clubs ambition is before he commits, then I'd respect him a lot more. Instead, he waffles on about crap,doesn't give direct answers and says he's flattered by Arsenal interest. I mean, he's got no better of a chance at winning things there. Can you imagine someone like gerrard, carra, skrtel or even sturridge or coutinho saying that?Sell the little shit to the highest bidder. He's a fantastic talent but his stats are a long way off a world class player. Screw it, let's just give him to Arsenal for Sanchez plus 1 pound - You heard it here first ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sounds very like a previous article about LFC being better off without Suarez to me.....

    ReplyDelete
  17. He would be a fool to join either. We will be ok if he does but this article makes out we'll be better off without him, not adding to him. And it panders to a PARTLY media driven rhetoric

    ReplyDelete
  18. Assuming Liverpool could get the players mentioned i would agree.But Oscar would be a good marquee back up option, if big names or talented up and coming players once again turn us down.
    I was looking at Oscars stats on the Transfermarkt website.He puts up good numbers.Under Rodgers i think we could potentially get even more from him

    ReplyDelete
  19. Whoever thought of the term 'gutter press' hit the nail on the head.The sports media in this country is a cesspit of sensationalism and speculation.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Shhhhhhhh JK, please... while valid, your staticised criticism may cost LFC a few million on the transfer ;)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Totally agree. The media in this country disgust me at times. They twist quotes and just plain make up stories to sell papers and get clicks online. There's barely anyone in sports media with any credibility whatsoever

    ReplyDelete
  22. Feel bad for him. Seems like he feels threatened by the fans. Then again, I'm a pushover, but I still have a small ounce of respect for him

    ReplyDelete
  23. If a club comes in and offers good money then sell him. He says it's not about the money, so sign the contact being offered not reject it. Turning down 100k per week at 20 with the club who gave him the chance and developed him is pretty crappy. He could just show some loyalty, sign and play another three seasons and then move on. No one would begrudge him that move if nothing had been won by then, and he'd still be only 23. Impatient, spoilt little boy.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sterling's irreplaceable.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Well said, Stan.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'm an Arsenal fan. We don't want or need him. He does seem to acting like a money grabber, if what we read in the press is correct. We have Walcott we don't need two of them

    ReplyDelete
  27. Slight problem with your article, Jaimie:
    I think you'll find Seinfeld's bizarro world was based on Superman comics. Don't you mean Supermandian bizarro world?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Raheem seems to get more and more deluded by the day, talking like he is too good for Liverpool and deserves better ...

    To be honest, he should earn around the same amount as Coutinho (70.000 pounds), nothing more nothing less. Both of them are young talents, who play regularly and are integral parts to our current team as they will be to our future one.

    But if he really wants out, then so be it - the grass isn't always greener on the other side ...

    Hopefully the next young talents in line to step up to the first team don't follow the same route as Sterling and feel some gratitude and loyalty towards Liverpool Football Club.

    THIS CLUB DESERVES SO MUCH BETTER!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Not even for £40m+2? ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Flog him to the highest bidder over £40m. Overrated if you ask me. Speed is his strength, but no vision, output, or respect for the club. Flog the mercenary!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Terry UberTel Richardson4:34 am, April 02, 2015

    sell him to the highest bidder outside of the EPL. Nowhere near the finished article and without games will never get to where he could be.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Every footballer want's to play with world-class, he can't even help out his team to challenge for the title himself, a la Michael Owen.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Sell Sterling for 50m and put that money into the transfer kitty !
    Surely there must be some player out there that wants to HELP Liverpool win trophy's and get back into CL

    ReplyDelete
  34. Jaimie ,
    How much of this is BR 's fault for blowing smoke up his BS before signing his new contract ?

    ReplyDelete
  35. Shankha Chaudhuri6:02 am, April 02, 2015

    Calm down....he'll be signing a big fat Liverpool contract soon..!!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Maybe Liverpool fans are growing fustrated .
    Suarez sage ,Gerrard reasons for leaving ,Sanchez not wanting Liverpool .

    Here is a kid that Liverpool has been given all the opportunities he wants and repays them with this type of behaviour.

    What would Suso have done to get the chances Sterling got ?

    ReplyDelete
  37. Impressive stats for a RWB.
    Xabi, Masche, Torres, Luis, Agger, Steven, now Raheem, key players left or about to leave our club, I see a pattern here, they are not money grabbers, they left because the club shows no ambition and winning titles (and I mean a proper league title, not just a cup) is not in the agenda and wont be in a near future.
    Get used to have average players and top ones wanting to leave, or start demanding loyalty to the proper ones, the club owners.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Very pleasing indeed to read your and Mike's comments on this subject as well as the others who've agreed.
    A particular pet hate and I would extend that to cover the majority of the media and not just in this country.
    I find the majority of daily headlines to be pretty vomit worthy and perhaps more infuriating is how people then debate said headlines as fact.
    Anything headed, 'could' 'might' 'may' etc I usually treat as such, i.e. it's pretty much an idea the journalist has had and used it to fill his or her quota of articles. Lots of people however want instant answers to everything and find those answers from rumours, often quoting 'there's no smoke without fire' et al.
    Well here's an irrefutable fact - a lot of news is often a complete fabrication.

    ReplyDelete
  39. "Raves" is the correct verb. Well done, Jaimie.

    Sterling is an excellent young player but he's not yet Ronaldinho, who was the only Barca player under Rijkaard to be given the freedom of the pitch.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Watched the interview again this morning. Got to say it's all a bit of a wtf moment for me. I can't understand who would have told him this was a good idea. Even if he is trying to force a move, is this really going to help endear him to other clubs and their fans.

    Perhaps I'm being a bit naive, I suppose a scenario where another club may have suggested upsetting the apple cart with LFC would help them get the player may exist.

    Whatever the truth we could certainly do without it at this crucial part of the season and I'm definitely feeling a growing sense of annoyance at him personally. But, being honest, I still feel he's currently our best player and if he does stay I want to leave myself the room for manoeuvre in not having completely turned against him.

    On a slightly different tack "possibly BRENDAN KNEW STERLING WAS LEAVING AND HAD ALREADY STARTED TO PREPARE FOR LIFE WITHOUT HIM allegedly" perhaps the headline might say- I had been wondering if that's why he has been playing Sterling on the wing, maybe it's been so he can drop him the instant Ibe is available with minimal disruption to the team.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I think a certain amount of frustration is understandable at this stage, but it could also be the case that all the initial and on-going criticism (a lot, if not all of it, unfounded) and the typical media which hunt that has taken place, has played it's part in bringing this situation to the this point.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Truth is we have promising youngsters coming through but Sterlng is an international player at 20 who was voted best young European player last year.


    Such players do not grow on trees and to keep him yes we need to pay him the right amount but we also need to show we can match his ambition to win things and that he can continue fulfil his potential by playing with other quality players.


    I thought his interview was very revealing and is well worth watching to get a better understanding of him as a young footballer. It's too easy to believe the bad stuff and to use him in order to vent all the frustrations and perceptions people have about modern day footballers.


    He does not have to be grateful to Liverpool it is a two way relationship and we cannot expect him to naively accept whatever he is told to do by the club, the manager, ex-players, the media .or the fans. Or for him to meekly accept the role of the villain in a pantomime played out in the public arena.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Clearly he is not irreplaceable and like Suarez he will be replaced by players of a slightly lower level of ability and potential.


    I am sure we can all learn to love a team of happy, enthusiastic , relatively cheap, hard working players fighting for a place in the top 7 or 8 every year,

    ReplyDelete
  44. Most probably the lad has just gotten tired again and needs a long lie down ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  45. A refreshing a point of view, he is after all only a young man, confronted by one heck of a huge decision. It's understandable that he would struggle with it as well as sensible that he would want to take his time and get it right.
    For me though I just wish he'd directly answered the question re not accepting the 100k offer. It wouldn't matter hugely to me what the answer was (within reason of course) but I felt that would've made the entire interview more worthwhile and perhaps stopped all some of the conjecture.

    ReplyDelete
  46. "I keep hearing I’ve rejected all sorts of contracts. Me, the club and my reps have spoken about it and put talks on hold until end of season, so it’s ­frustrating to hear the contract situation keep going on and on"



    Unless he's flat out lying, then all these new offers he's supposed to have rejected- up to £180k pw has been claimed- are NOT being discussed at the moment. that's just media bs


    That said- what a stupid idea to try to justify himself like that and as for saying he's flattered by Arsenal interest- well he's not the sharpest tool in the box is he, he may soon become unplayable unless he really turns it on in the final 8 or so games.


    A good example is all the jokes about having 10 kids etc when he has ONE. They didn't stop when he posted a pic of his one daughter. You CAN'T control it Raheem. Do what Barnes did and answer with perfomances

    ReplyDelete
  47. Logan? Is that you?

    ReplyDelete
  48. 4eva LFC, LFC 4eva1:29 pm, April 02, 2015

    JK I absolutely agree 100% you are spot on, we are bargaining with a child who is trying to hold this great club to ransom, I don't need his stats to know he hasn't done shit yet, and he or his manager what's to put him in the world class category. Please there are kids out there dreaming of playing for this great club.

    ReplyDelete
  49. 4eva LFC, LFC 4eva1:39 pm, April 02, 2015

    Sell him and bring in Luciano Vietto end of story.

    ReplyDelete
  50. I do agree with what you are saying about sterling all of it him being a merc greedy and he is replaceable however I just dont get how u can say the sooner sterling leaves the better. That just seems to refute another point you consistently make about liverpool our inability in the transfer market. Are you really willing to trust BR with the mooted 50 mil we might get for sterling? We will end up buying 2 20-25 yr olds who have potential instead of being world class players why not pay the potential we already have instead of risking 2 more flops with a guy whose record in the market aint that great.You can call sterling greedy all you want heck I agree with you but he is a talent and we can replace him but we have not and will not buy a world class player will be buying potential as always develop sterlings finishing and get him out of rwb

    ReplyDelete
  51. It is amussing to hear a 20 year old talk of wanting trophies as if he given his entire career to a club that doesn't win them....Then the , Iwould have signed last season had they asked me sounds remarkably familiar... Where have I heard that before...

    ReplyDelete
  52. Agree in general Mike, it was only that one specific offer which he did clarify he had turned down for the 100k.
    I think that's the point that most find difficult to understand and unless he could offer some reasoning, as you say, keep it zipped and trust that the more reasonable amongst us had tuned out after being told all talks were on hold.

    ReplyDelete
  53. BR has said in his press conference that Streling was Unauthorized to give the BBC interveiw.

    Clearly Sterling seems to know what he is doing so,

    Is Sterling on his own mission ,with a hidden agenda ?

    ReplyDelete
  54. He said something that bothered me during the interview.



    He said "You really want to be working with world-class players day in, day out. It's obviously left a little dent, these two world-class superstars leaving."


    So with this so called 'dent' it's time for you to step up and be the player you say you want to be, instead you are looking for another club because there are no 'world-class' players left at LFC.... what a joke

    I agree sell to the highest bidder, we don't need this at LFC.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Sanchez didn't sign for us because his wife wanted to live in London, Gerrard I'd leaving because his ego can't stand the fact that will is no longer garatueed a start and he will also earn an obscene amount of money in the states

    ReplyDelete
  56. Walcott is not a mercenary dude, he wants to play as a forward and not a bench player hence y he is considering his options. FACTS brother, FACTS

    ReplyDelete
  57. If you refer to the BBC interview, then please tell me what he said that would cause LFC to discipline him? He was pretty clear he hasn't made any demands whatsoever. He merely turned down the offer that was given. If LFC offered 100K a week in the midst of a season, then why wouldn't he wait until then end of the season? If they offer him 100K for the six goals and his potential, then what if he catches fire and scores/assists a shedload for the rest of the season? If he plays at present skill level and the 100K is still on the table at the end of the season, then why wouldn't he sign then? I htink he's right to leave it alone and play ball...it's his best option. He's making 35K a week...it ain't like he's starving.

    ReplyDelete
  58. That's not a fact. These are facts:

    * 15 separate injuries since 2008
    * 646 days on the sidelines as a result.
    * 128 games missed as a result of injury.
    * An average of 21 missed-games a season for the last 6 years.

    Walcott is in no position to demand a massive salary increase. He should be grateful that Arsenal are paying him at all.

    ReplyDelete
  59. I was beginning to think I was the only person around who doesn't think Sterling is the best thing since sliced bread. Yes, he's a good player but I think he lacks what Rafa always refered to as game intelligence. His final ball is often dreadful and surrenders possession by trying to play a pass that isn't on or being over elaborate. I watched a lot of him on LFC tv when he was coming through and was always more impressed by Ibe.

    ReplyDelete