Manchester City is a wrong destination for Raheem Sterling
At last it is over. Thankfully for Liverpool and us impatient football fans, Raheem Sterling makes his 50 million move to Manchester City.
The Sterling transfer saga has been a pain in the neck for Liverpool. On one side the club was not willing to increase the pay for the 20 year old and rightly so as his performances did not merit the same, while the self claimed ‘unselfish’ Sterling demanded a bigger number on his paycheck.
This issue quickly became a darling of the media where they could feast on the dispute between the player and club. Now when the saga is over, the question is did Sterling pick the right club ?
The answer to that is a definite no. It is good that Sterling at the young age of 20 attracted big clubs although that maybe due to him being an English player rather than his numbers which aren’t that good.
But, he needs time and regular playing time to develop himself as a player and more importantly as a matured footballer who can not only perform on the pitch but conduct himself respectfully off it.
The way he played his transfer situation with Liverpool is a perfect example of immature he still is and that he has a long long way to go.
Manchester City is the last place a player who wants to develop himself should go. The City attacking lineup at the moment is filled with names such Aguero, Dzeko, Nasri, Bony, Silva and Toure and none of them from what I see will be dispensed immediately to make room of Sterling.
So if anyone thinks that his price tag is a direct ticket to a first team position can take a backseat.
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Sterling was at a perfect place at Anfield where he was a central figure in Rodgers plans and in the team. He was liked by the fans and most importantly he was often given the responsibility to rally the team towards a victory.
When a youngster is given such roles in a team, he is going through a rigorous process of development which will help him in the latter stages of his career.
At City, Aguero or Yaya Toure or Silva are the captains of the City vessel where everything happens through them. I don’t think Sterling will make regular first team anyway when he starts the season with them.
Sterling has to again re-establish himself in a new team and gain the trust of a new set of supporters. This will be quite a daunting task for the young midfielder who has yet to learn many things.
Also, Manchester City will be aiming for the title and that too against a well oiled Chelsea machine under Mourinho. This means that City must be at their very best and try and won every game as possible. To do that, each and every team member must be at their peak throughout the season.
The question is will Sterling be able to sustain a good form throughout the season ? At the mere age of 20, it is not possible. But, sadly for him, the club he chose is ruthless and doesn’t even think a second time when it comes to benching their under performing players.
So, with Sterling heading to Manchester City, he not only hindered his own development as a player but also now faces a vulnerability in terms of his playing time.
If we have learned anything from this is that, money dictates the sport to a huge extent nowadays. To Sterling, I hope I am wrong.