Sterling is still awaiting his first Chelsea goal
Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling says he was left “fuming” and “raging” by his exit from Manchester City.
He started just 23 league games last season, and believes his sacrifices were not being rewarded.
“Everyone wants to feel wanted, football is no different,” Sterling told Sky Sports. external-link One Piece Film: Red Streaming VF en Francais
“When you play your heart out, sacrifice some of your kids’ birthdays, and then get treated in a certain way, it’s disappointing.
“At the time I was fuming, raging, but it’s gone, it’s in the past and I can only focus on the present, which is now, here at Chelsea, and the opportunity I’ve got here to go out and showcase my talents once again.”
He says “misunderstandings, contracts running down” were some of the factors behind him leaving City.
“A lot of things came into play, a lot of reasons, but I wasn’t complaining, I was ready to challenge and, as you can see, even with some of the performances I put in, you couldn’t guarantee yourself a place so it just didn’t make sense to fight a battle you can never win,” he added.
Sterling, who scored 131 goals in 339 games for City, says his move to west London was a “blessing in disguise”.
“If you are not happy playing your football you’ve got to look at other options to get that happiness back, and that’s exactly what I have done,” he added.
The summer transfer window is here, and there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!TOP STORY: Christian Pulisic move to Man United could hinge on Harry Maguire swap
Chelsea have made a shock enquiry about Harry Maguire’s availability amid growing doubts around the centre-back’s future at Manchester United, according to a report from The Daily Mail. The England international has faced plenty of criticism in recent times but is of interest to the Blues as they struggle to complete a deal for Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana.
Chelsea have even raised the idea of Maguire moving to Stamford Bridge as part of a swap deal that would see U.S. captain Christian Pulisic head to Old Trafford. As ESPN’s James Olley reported earlier this week, Manchester United have expressed interest in 23-year-old Pulisic for a possible loan.
Pulisic is set to hold talks with Chelsea about his future, which could include Pulisic pushing to leave the club despite two years remaining on his contract. This comes as Pulisic has found himself shuffled around at Chelsea and not looking integral to manager Thomas Tuchel’s plans ahead of the World Cup in November.
Fofana does still remain the priority signing for Tuchel’s side, with growing optimism that a deal could be completed after the Frenchman asked to be left out of Leicester’s squad to face Southampton on Saturday. Even so, Chelsea’s interest in Maguire will be seen as a very interesting development due to questions surrounding whether or not the 29-year-old figures into Erik ten Hag’s plans.
The report even suggests that it has been seriously considered that Maguire could not be picked to face Liverpool on Monday. This comes with Raphael Varane pushing for a place in the team after watching on from the bench while United have endured a terrible start to the season, losing against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.
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12.23 BST: Real Madrid are considering a move for Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as a replacement for the Manchester United-bound Casemiro, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Hojbjerg, 27, has been a key player at Spurs since joining from Southampton in August 2020, making 74 Premier League starts since then.