Chelsea’s social media silence highlights awkward situation around £50m transfer | OneFootball

Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph is well connected at Chelsea, and won’t want to upset his sources there.

But even he has to check in on the bizarre (and some would say outrageous) circumstances around Raheem Sterling. The winger has been frozen out for two years, and while he was able to find a last minute loan to Arsenal last season, this year he’s just the invisible man at Cobham.

Chelsea freeze out of Sterling goes on with no end in sight

Raheem Sterling in action for Arsenal. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Law notes that the winger isn’t listed on the club’s official website, and also that they didn’t even wish him a happy birthday on social media, likely knowing how toxic the comments underneath such a post would be.

While January is around the corner, and Enzo Maresca’s comments in his press conference yesterday seemed hopeful that a move for the winger could be found, we’re not holding out breath. They didn’t manage it in the summer, what will have changed now?

“He still has 18 months remaining on his Chelsea contract worth more than £300,000-a-week, which has been described as a barrier to a potential move away from Stamford Bridge,” Law says.

“But sources close to Sterling insist there has never been a conversation about renegotiating his contract at a reduced rate or simply cutting his salary.”

It seems the awkwardness will continue – even beyond the winger’s next birthday.

In other news…

Chelsea managed to get a player into the Premier League team of the week in the week just gone – but it’s not the sort of player you want to see in there. Read this article and it will all make sense…

Joao Pedro wasn’t ever going to feature in this team – he’s been in dire form of late, and an injury to one of his teammates isn’t going to help matters. His stats compared to Nicolas Jackson make ugly reading.