Opinion: PFA involvement shows Sterling’s Chelsea exile is bigger than football

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·22 de septiembre de 2025

Opinion: PFA involvement shows Sterling’s Chelsea exile is bigger than football

Raheem Sterling’s stay in North London was not made permanent, so his future is no longer our issue. Just like the majority of Chelsea fans will not be caring about how he is feeling because it has been over a year since he started for the Blues.

It is an example of how hypocritical supporters and clubs can be. When a player is deemed an asset and a valuable resource, his employer will accuse him of a lack of loyalty if he wants to move. They will play on the emotional heartstrings of their customers, portraying the employee as disloyal and greedy.

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Yet once a talent is deemed surplus to requirements, not only do owners and managers suddenly not care about honouring a contract, but they will also do everything in their power to make an individual so miserable that they feel forced out of the door. I say in their power because there are still laws that must be followed. That is what prompted the PFA to get in contact with Stamford Bridge this week to check that everyone was being treated the same.

Questions over Chelsea’s conduct

I say check, but it could also be translated as a friendly warning to our rivals because something made the PFA make that call. It could be in response to the time of day Sterling posted on social media of him training on his own, or an image that fellow member of the ‘Bomb Squad’ Benoît Badiashile uploaded of a makeshift dressing room set up separately from his peers.

Arsenal had the same situation when they were trying to convince Mesut Özil to rip up his contract. There was a reason Mikel Arteta smartly stressed every week that there had been zero issues and no concerns over behaviour. That was because the Gunners would have been legally advised not to give lawyers any reason to make the accusation that the midfielder was being unfairly treated.

As long as wages are being paid it is a coach’s prerogative if they want to pay people to sit at home on a matchday. Yet contractually, a player, registered in your squad or not, must have access to the same opportunities as everyone else, including the same access to training facilities, canteen and medical treatment.

It is believed Chelsea’s response was that what was seen online was not a reflection of Sterling’s day-to-day schedule and that it had been mutually agreed that an individual programme with a personal trainer would give him the best chance of keeping fit. Maresca did his bosses no favours by admitting to the press he has not seen or spoken to Sterling or Badiashile since pre-season.

The Italian increasingly seems to act on impulse and emotion and maybe when an association is seeking reassurance that their members are being looked after, it is not ideal for the man running the place day to day to tell the world he has had zero interaction with two of his own players since August.

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Respect and mental health matter

So in nearly two months you have not even crossed paths at lunch? Why have you not made the effort to check in even out of respect? Considering that, you can understand why Chelsea have been given a little reminder about their conduct. What is the bet we get pictures of Sterling suddenly laughing in training on the club’s website with the first team?

Maresca tried to manipulate the fan base and media, subtly reminding everyone how much Sterling earns and therefore that the hours he trains cannot be compared to the majority of people who work nine-hour shifts for minimum wage. Yet that is not how mental health works. Depression does not discriminate if you happen to be rich.

The feedback from his season at the Emirates was that the staff were very impressed with his professionalism and the standards he set for himself and others. Mikel Arteta is not the type to tolerate anyone who does not follow his principles, so he would not speak highly of the 30-year-old if he did not mean it. In fact, in our final game of the campaign he was adamant he wanted Sterling to start at Southampton even though that was their last day working together. It was his way of saying thank you for Sterling helping the development of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, even without getting the minutes he wanted. Many in his position would have gone through the motions, not given guidance to youngsters at a club where they had no future.

At the start of this year Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli had all suffered serious injuries. A platform did exist for Sterling to prove he could return to his Manchester City form. He can never accuse Arsenal of not providing him with the stage to rediscover his mojo. It was at this point that his former assistant manager at the Etihad realised the player had lost his powers.

It becomes more concerning that those who worked with him in the last 12 months praised him and had zero complaints about his character or work ethic. This loan was never designed to prove anything to his parent club. If it was, it would have been concluded that Sterling has no issues in terms of his attitude, and that there would be no reason to isolate him.

That means more serious issues could be ongoing, problems the man himself wants to either keep private or is not aware of. Something in his personal life? A physical or medical problem? Has he just lost confidence and suddenly does not know how to wrestle that self-doubt away? That happens in various industries. As does experiencing so much success that you lose that drive and hunger. All of this can impact your mental health.

Going to work and being made to feel isolated and inadequate cannot help. So while Maresca can shrug his shoulders and point to the player’s bank balance, Chelsea too are rich and have the resources to make Sterling’s working environment better if they wanted to. While they paint the picture that Sterling has earned enough money to take a pay cut, the same can be said of the club. Chelsea can afford to honour a deal they agreed to. No one forced them.

Sterling cannot move now until January, so it would cost Chelsea little to show a bit of class until a compromise is reached. That compromise could be Chelsea paying part of his salary to allow him to facilitate a move elsewhere in the capital. With his son part of our academy, Sterling’s motivation may be to move his young family. Another solution would be for all parties to agree on a price to end the contract early. Yet Chelsea are aware how that looks on their balance sheets when flirting with FFP regulations. The West Londoners, like most clubs, want it all on their terms.

A player who wants to leave is wrong if he is valued. A player who is deemed not great is wrong if he wants to stay. When Chloe Kelly was on loan we cared about how she was treated at Manchester City and how that impacted her mental health.

Off the pitch Sterling was popular, and Arsenal’s dressing room and coaching staff would want the best for him, especially with his son on our books. Should we not care how someone is being treated because we do not gain from it? Once a Gunner, always a Gunner, remember.

Dan Smith

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