Raheem Sterling’s Agent Issues Statement After Winger Left Out Of Chelsea Squad To Face Man City

Raheem Sterling’s agents have confessed they were shocked to see the winger left out of the Chelsea squad to face Manchester City on Sunday.

The £44m signing was not even named on the bench by new manager Enzo Maresca for Sunday’s match against his former club, Manchester City, at Stamford Bridge.

Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Christopher Nkunku were selected as the starting front three, while 18-year-old summer recruit Guiu was among several forward options chosen over Sterling for the bench.

It came as a shock to Sterling, who had started pre-season training early in a bid to earn a place in Maresca’s team but instead was left out altogether.

Sterling’s representatives said in a statement: “Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years. He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.

“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, which he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week; we expected that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.

“As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC about Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation. Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively.”

Sterling was the first major signing of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital era at Chelsea, joining from Sunday’s opponents City in a deal worth around £50m.

However, the club has signed several other wingers during his tenure at Stamford Bridge, including Pedro Neto this summer.

Sterling participated in all six of Chelsea’s pre-season matches. He joined the Blues in the summer of 2022 after spending seven seasons with Manchester City.

Last season, the winger made 31 appearances in the Premier, scoring eight goals to help his team finish in sixth place.

However, he has not played the England national team since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

However, he has not met expectations, having scored 19 goals and provided 12 assists in 81 appearances during his time at Chelsea.