Why Chelsea’s owners have revamped contract strategy because of Raheem Sterling | OneFootball

The Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership at Chelsea have changed the way they offer contracts to players after Raheem Sterling's situation.

Having failed to secure a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer, Sterling, alongside fellow Chelsea outcast Axel Disasi, has been training separately from the rest of the first-team squad this season.

It is far from an ideal situation for both the player and the club. Although Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted it's natural when parties are unable to find a solution.

"When for any reason the player and the club doesn't find any solution and you give the player all the tools to do training sessions and to do everything but if you are not involved in the squad you are not involved in the squad," said Maresca earlier this month.

Sterling spent last season on loan at Arsenal - it wasn't a success. | IMAGO / IPS

"Again, I know that it's something that you like to talk about but it's not about Chelsea, it's about any club in the world."

Sterling, who spent last season on loan at Arsenal, is not playing competitively at the age of 30, while Chelsea must continue to pay him a reported £300,000-a-week salary, possibly until his contract expires in June 2027.

Any effort to find suitors for the England international has also been made even more difficult by his understandable reluctance to move his family away from London, or be away from them, according to The Athletic.

Interestingly, the report also adds that this particular situation has led to the Boehly and Clearlake Capital consortium to change their approach to contracts, offering incentivised rather than guaranteed deals, given they are struggling to offload Sterling's huge wages.

An example of this incentive-driven contract is Cole Palmer's new deal, which he signed last year and reportedly contains an incremental wage increase.

IMAGO / Action Plus

It might put Chelsea at a disadvantage when competing with other clubs to sign top and established football players, but it would at least help the club avoid running into the same problem.

Chelsea are now left with a few options.

The worst possible situation would be to continue paying Sterling his salary while he remains out of the first-team picture.

The next option is to try to find a new club for Sterling, ideally in January, although given the winger's adamant stance on staying in London could once again prove to be a hurdle.

Another possibie route is to negotiate a severance pay to terminate the contract, which from Sterling's perspective could be a net positive since he would be able to sign with another club as a free agent.