By Andrew Warshaw
July 15 – Has player power got out of hand and is he worth the money? Those were the two main questions being debated in football circles after Raheem Sterling became the most expensive English player of all time by signing for Manchester City from Liverpool.
Whilst Welshman Gareth Bale cost an eye-watering £85 million (some estimates put it at more) when he joined Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur, the whopping £49 million fee paid for Sterling is the biggest for an Englishman and the most expensive for a British player between two domestic clubs. So much for financial fair play reining in spending.
It wasn’t only the fee that got tongues wagging. As the England international, who can play in a variety of forward positions, prepared to fly out to join his new teammates on their the pre-season tour in Australia, the acrimonious way in which the transfer was conducted, with Sterling seemingly wanting nothing to do with Liverpool any longer unless and until the deal was done, suggested he was holding the club to ransom.
While City boss Manuel Pellegrini, who many believed would lose his job after failing to secure major honours last season, hailed the capture of the exciting 20-year-old, much debate has been focussed on the role of Sterling’s agent in the protracted and acrimoniouc contract talks at Liverpool, and how they had stalled.
The issue finally came to a head when Sterling, who had been under contract until 2017, apparently called in sick and did not join Liverpool on their own pre-season tour despite being named in the squad.
Whatever they thought privately, Liverpool, who took Sterling from Queens Park Rangers in 2010, issued a short statement confirming his departure on their website and wishing him well after two previous bids had been turned down.
A recent study apparently ranks Sterling as the most valuable young player in Europe, ahead of Paris St-Germain defender Marquinhos and Manchester United’s recently acquired Dutch forward Memphis Depay.
Few would argue he has a prodigious talent but former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who left for LA Galaxy in the MLS this summer, said he was “disappointed” in the way the move evolved whilst ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, these days a television pundit, said that while Liverpool had got a great deal financially, Sterling had to prove his worth.
“Raheem Sterling is a very good young player but he has not yet hit the heights of an (Michael) Owen, (Wayne) Rooney, (Robbie) Fowler or (Ryan) Giggs at this stage of his career so there’s no doubt £49 million is a great deal for Liverpool,” said Carragher.
“It’s now time for Raheem to do what he does best – play football and show the Premier League the Sterling who was described as ‘the best young player in Europe’ just over a year ago. You couldn’t argue that fact at the time. He has the potential to be a star and one of the leading lights in the national team for years to come.”
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