Real reasons Raheem Sterling joined Feyenoord revealed as Man Utd legend intervenes | OneFootball

Raheem Sterling has completed a surprise move to Dutch giants Feyenoord until the end of the season, and TEAMtalk understands that Robin van Persie played the key role in convincing him to join.

The former England winger, who left Chelsea in January, has not played a competitive match since May 2024 following a short loan spell at Arsenal.

His Stamford Bridge exit came after falling sharply out of favour and being placed in the club’s so‑called “Bomb Squad,” leaving him training away from the first‑team group.

We can reveal that Sterling had been prepared to wait until the summer window to assess his options, but a personal intervention from Feyenoord boss Van Persie, the iconic ex-Manchester United and Arsenal striker, changed the picture dramatically.

The Dutch legend made direct contact to convince Sterling that Rotterdam was the right place to relaunch his career, and those conversations proved decisive.

A well‑placed source told TEAMtalk: “Raheem has had a lot of interest and a few things have appealed but he was thinking it was likely that nothing was going to happen until the summer. But following talks with Robin, he really sold it to him – they both see it as a fascinating situation and Raheem is really looking forward to it.”

Van Persie has persuaded Sterling to join him for the remainder of the campaign, with both parties agreeing to reassess the situation once the season concludes.

Feyenoord currently sit second in the Eredivisie, though they remain a distant 17 points behind runaway leaders PSV Eindhoven. Even so, the club believe Sterling’s arrival can inject fresh quality and experience as they push to finish strongly.

Speaking after completing the move to Feyenoord, Sterling said: “As a free agent, I’ve had, for the first time in a long time, the opportunity to control the next step in my career.

“I wanted to take my time to speak with clubs and their head coaches to better understand the role they envisioned for me and ensure that I can add real value in this next chapter.

“Having spoken in great detail with Robin, I’m confident that Feyenoord is a place I can be happy and establish myself as a valued member of the team.”

Sterling last played while on loan with Arsenal last season, where he ran out 28 times for the Gunners, notching one goal and five assists.

The move to Feyenoord offers an opportunity to prove he can still compete at a high level and it remains to be seen what the future holds for the 31-year-old beyond this term.