Liverpool Transfer News: Raheem Sterling Sparks Arsenal and Chelsea Rumours By Nick Akerman, Featured Columnist May 12, 2015 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories please log in to view this image Alex Livesey/Getty Images Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling "is preparing to put his Merseyside house on the market," according to SamiMokbel of the Daily Mail. More interestingly, Mokbel believes the England international has "begun looking for a new property in London, fuelling talk of a potential move to Arsenal or Chelsea." Sterling was originally based in London with Queens Park Rangers, but he moved north in 2010 when Liverpool signed him up. Talk over his future has overshadowed the latter part of the Reds' season, with reports suggesting he has turned down £100,000 per week to remain at Anfield, per Natalie Pirks of BBC Sport. please log in to view this image Julian Finney/Getty Images Mokbel suggests both Arsenal and Chelsea possess an "active interest" in Sterling, whose season has been defined by wildly varying form. He has scored seven in 34 Premier League appearances, per Soccerway, fulfilling a variation of roles for Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, but he's remained unproductive in recent weeks. It's possible continued speculation has turned his concentration elsewhere. Sterling is a top young talent, though. His natural pace, dribbling skill and surprisingly bullish nature make him an enticing prospect for potential suitors. The 20-year-old needs to work on his final product—having missed plenty of simple chances this season—but he's showing all the signs of developing into a world-class player. However, B/R UK's Stan Collymore has warned the starlet he has a long way to go:
Yeah I'm kinda over Sterling tbh. He's gonna be a great player but his shooting is embarrassingly weak and his end product is pretty poor. When on form he's brilliant though and does have intelligence. If Arsenal offer money plus cash, same with Chelsea, I'd take it.
Re sterling In many ways he reminds me of Nasri. he will do something every now and again but mostly is easy to play against Arsenal are better now than they were with him but it did take a shed load of cash I have to wonder if Ibe will be better or not but in the end it doesn't matter.... sterling is forcing the move so we must maximise return and then break his legs when we next play him
I disagree - he has been poor this season but the lad has been shoved in every position bar his best which was as a number 10. We saw against Chelsea that when he moves centrally, he's a right handful. Poorly manage by Rodgers this season. As we saw last season, this lad can play with the best in the world and not look out of place.
He's not even close to best no 10 we have though... if he was he would not be moved 41212 was not really no 10 it was a role designed to have energy around the pitch If anyone can tell me who exactly he will replace at 10 for arsenal, chelsea or city I'll say fine fair enough Carzorla has pushed ozil out of central area at arsenal Chelsea have oscar and fare gas and the clamour for hazard centrally is growing City have silva Best of luck to him I say cos our no 10 is coutinho and when he's played free and not tied to defensive role wide left he lights up the place.
I agree with Jimmy ( ) that Sterling's best position is number ten but I also agree with MITO that he's not our best number ten. Coutinho pisses all over Raheem in that role and they can't both pay there. Given the choice, I know which one I'd rather keep and he's not homegrown!
Poorly managed my ass, no other manager would have done a better job than Rodgers with him. Chelsea wouldn't even play him and he would be a back up for William. He would struggle to get into the team. Same with any other top club tbh. Rodgers has developed his intelligence and positioning. When Kenny was in charge who would of thought Sterling could play CAM or striker? No one, we all thought he's a winger and only a winger. Rodger has managed him into a much better player.
There's more to management than just merely giving a player minutes. Shifting Sterling in idiotic positions is poor management, given our team has been poor at creating chances. If Rodgers were such a great coach, why has pretty much every player regressed this year, bar Coutinho? Also - Coutinho is not a number 10. He's a number 8 - similar to Iniesta. Put him in the middle of the pitch as a CM alongside a powerful mid and ahead of a quality DM, and watch him drive the team forward. That's where he is best.
What I don't understand is how as a player with the attributes he has how he is not running past the no 9 and trying his best to get in goal scoring positions. He is not a slide rule passer. If I were Rodgers and I was sticking lambert in I would personally be wanting him to pull a CB with him deeper and send sterling to run in behind. Why is he glued wide or deep or trying his best to **** up every chance he gets
I've seen you spout some bollox Jimmy but that one takes the biscuit! Coutinho is best when receiving the ball between the lines and just in front of the opposition defence. His best attribute is picking the ten yard killer pass. If that's not a number ten then John Barnes was a right back!!!
Coutinho and Sterling are very different type of 10's. Coutinho is the short pass quick feet burst of acceleration and though balls, where as Sterling is very much turn and run at CB's exposing them with his pace. Both work in different games against different set ups. Coutinho needs players infront of him making runs to pass the ball to, Sterling needs players ahead of him to make runs to open space for him to run at 1 CB and expose them. Both can't play in the same position in the same game, but over the course of the season against different opposition would be great Sterling's a good winger but he can't cross and his decision making when given time (which when out wide tends to have more of it) isn't very good. He's best when he has to react and being in the middle with less time that often works better.
I suggest you watch Coutinho's best performances in a red shirt, most notably against Arsenal last season and you'll see how he is far effective from playing in a deeper position. How do you think this team is able to get the ball up the pitch? It's certainly not through Henderson, who is incapable of dribbling with the ball. In our best starting line up - I would have Sterling behind the strikers with Coutinho behind Sterling alongside a CM. And the role of a number 10 has changed quite a lot over recent history - yes, the number 10 was historically the playmaker in the form of someone like Riquelme, Aimar and Laudrup, but players in that role are now more direct, run at defences and more importantly, score goals. The playmakers now sit in a deeper position ala Pirlo, Alonso. Sorry to school you again Gez EDIT - adding Bergkamp, Totti and Platini to the list of classic number 10's ... #Nostalgia
Sterling isn't a winger - as you say, he's far better drifting inwards and he has the intelligence and movement to play that position. The issue is that Rodgers has often stuck him out wide all season.
Also, I'm not saying that Coutinho can't play the number 10 role - just saying that his best position is playing in a deeper role (not much deeper, mind).
