Raheem Sterling (Liverpool -> Man City)

This post is going to sound harsh but am I the only person who thinks he is over rated? I wouldn't be bothered if he stays or goes to be honest.

His pace is his main asset but it won't last forever. His final pass is usually poor and his finishing is quite shocking, he isn't clinical enough. He is nothing more than a decent player/prospect. He is nothing special. Ability wise he will never go down as one of the best footballers to play the game, he is not good enough technically.

If he went to City or Chelsea I'm pretty sure he would rot on their bench. He is certainly no better than Hazard or Silva. And Nasri & Willian are just as good if not better too.

He is a good player for us because of the way we play, he fits in with our style. If he moves I'm certain we will see just how basic of a footballer he actually is.

We are at our best when we play with pace and press the other team. We don't have the best footballers in the world, but sometimes our energy and enthusiasm wins us games and that's why Sterling is good for us because he has bags of pace and is an enthusiastic player most of the time. The likes of City are more technical, boring really, and Sterling wouldn't fit in there at all IMO. He is not a 'City player'. Sterling is not the sort of player who can 'unlock a tight defence' is he? Look at how Navas has struggled there and they play in a similar way - beat a man and get to the byline.

I hope he stays because he is good for Liverpool and Liverpool is good for him. If its true and he is asking for 150k a week though he needs to have a look at himself. God only knows what he will ask for in 3 years time, at the age of 23, when is next contract is about to expire.

I think you're looking at him through a fans eyes rather than a coaches eyes mate. 

Yes he's quick but he isn't a speed merchant and nothing else, he's a very intelligent player especially for his age and that's usually the last thing part of a game that develops.  He's rarely played in his natural position, which was at left wing in the Academy, mainly because we don't play with "traditional wingers" so he's been shunted around to wherever he's needed.

That versatility is rare in one so young but it's probably hindered his development this season as he's not had a settled position like last season where we saw his performance levels improve massively. 

You say he isn't clinical enough but he isn't a striker yet when he played as a striker earlier in the season he was scoring at a 1:2 ratio which is actually very good.  He's been absolutely wasted at wb and it's no surprise that since he was shunted there to accomodate Studge up front and to cover for the injured Ibe our scoring rate has dropped and we haven't looked as clinical as we were in our earlier good run.

He's been a victim of our failed transfers in the summer but if he was just an average player why, at 19/20 years of age, has he not been dropped to give someone else a chance?  If that's the case surely we have better, more experienced, more clinical, more technically gifted players who could do a better job?

Over rated?

Our top scorer this season.

Almost had to carry the side forba period while learning to play upfront in a new formation.

Can play in a variety of positions and has done as he is better than other players we have in those positions.

Full international and the other night the only player that looked on a higher level.

Part of the most feared and explosive front three last season.

All this and more and he's 20 years old. That's right 20.

If anything I think some are starting to under rate him especially since he 'got greedy'.

We don't attract the top end talent because we don't pay, as you rightly point out, the top wages.

What we are tryimng to do is buy the top end talent before they become that by investing in young players with the potential to be those tope end players 2, 3 or even 5 years down the line.

What many of us worry about though is if and when those players start to look like they are becoming top level talent, and you can argue if Raheem is there, close to it or even if he won't be there at all, will we then not want to pay those players the top end wages that we saved in the first place by buying them before they were the top talent?

It's all well and good buying young players and hope they progess to being among the best if you don't want to pay them as the best around when they start to fulfill that potential.

Is this true though?

I highlighted a few players the other day who are on big wages who are likely to be leaving along with a few players who don't feature who when you combine their wages could pay for both Raheem's pay rise and a new striker.

Gerrard, Johnson, Balotelli, Aspas, Alberto, Borini.

Six players one of which is already leaving, one is almost ceratin to be leaving, two are on loan and not needed and the other two, Borini and Balotelli, have question marks about whether or not they will be here next season.

I would hazard a guess that you at over £300K a week in wages right there.

Let me put it this way. A way that I hope couldn't be more simple. Let's assume we agree to his demands and we pay Sterling £150,000 a week wages. How long do you think he's going to remain at the club whilst we continue to remain outside of the top four? If you agree the answer is 'not long' then what is to be gained by paying him that at the expense of other top talent? Unless we are prepared to take a risk and pay substantially more to top talent than we've traditionally offered then this entire discussion becomes moot.

Over rated?

Our top scorer this season.

With six goals. That's hardly an achievement and shows just how poorly we bought last Summer. Six goals is what you expect a midfielder to chip in with along side your main striker/s, not to be your top goal scorer. Leicester's Leonardo Ulloa has scored more goals and they're in relegation. That's about as over rated as it could possibly get. We wouldn't even be having this discussion if we'd signed Sanchez or Costa or Sturridge had remained fit because our goal tally would have been far more. In fact, if we look at what midfielders are chipping in with, Silva's 'chipped in' with eleven goals, Hazard has 'chipped in' with eleven goals, Eriksen has 'chipped in' with nine goals, Nacer Chadli has 'chipped in' with eight goals, Mata has 'chipped in' with seven goals...so in the league of top goal scoring midfielders he hasn't even done that well so how can you suggest he's not being overrated? If he wasn't playing for Liverpool of course you'd be suggesting he's overrated. Sure he has potential but he's far from the finished article and if he's far from the finished article, why does he deserve to be paid top wages?

Technically basic.??.lolololo.. You see what this lad does from the front compared to our other attackers..? His defence capabilities severely underrated imo.. Trust me, this lad is more than technical and I find it laughable that people are describing him as a pacey basic player..

Half our fan base have devalued him because its annoyingly taking so long to complete.. It that simple..

Fans will start claiming he's absolute sh*te soon at this rate. Defending our owners "scrilla" like its their own ffs...

That extra 50 grand isnt coming out of your kids Uni money.. chill..
 

This entire discussion appears to be a moot point because it looks like he's agitating for a move. According to ESPN, he is prepared to turn down a contract offer worth as much as £180,000 a week.

Here's the relevant paragraph:

Raheem Sterling should stay at Liverpool rather than cash out

Raheem Sterling's time at Liverpool may be drawing to a close. Sources from the player's camp have revealed that he is now prepared to turn down a contract offer worth as much as £180,000 a week. Sources from the club indicate that they are generous, but they are not stupid and they will not be messed around by a young man who has won the sum total of nothing and has played fewer than 100 Premier League games. There is much wrangling still to come, but with two years left on Sterling's contract, you suspect that this will be resolved one way or another this summer.

Declining, £180,000 a week for a player who hasn't a single honour to his name and less than 100 Premier League games under his belt isn't greed, it's a brazen attempt to move to a top European club where he'll rot on the bench if he's lucky, in the reserves if he's not. Still think the policy of developing young talent to win titles and trophies with is working, Mr Henry?

I'm beginning to believe it's not even about the money at all.  He's not holding out for a pay rise, he's holding out for a move away to achieve his ambitions of winning trophies.

Says a hell of a lot when we can't even convince a 20 year old that we can win stuff in the near future.  How sad that it's come to this, for a Club of our supposed stature.

Feeling quite depressed and utterly dejected now 

Do you seriously believe that bollix 5timers, seriously? This FSG PR machine is clearly working miracles then. Well done James Pearce sir, you have muppets right under control.

Asking for 150k a week, offered 100k they say. In reality, its something like "asking for 90k basics plus whatever bonus I wont get anyway because FSG are a selling club and I will get F**k all incentives with their strategy, but I was offered 60k+40k in reality."

Triple your money they say, and Raheem now looks a greedy w**ker. Pearce must be very happy with his well paid job, fooling so many people at once. F***ing blert

Do you seriously believe that bollix 5timers, seriously? This FSG PR machine is clearly working miracles then. Well done James Pearce sir, you have muppets right under control.

Asking for 150k a week, offered 100k they say. In reality, its something like "asking for 90k basics plus whatever bonus I wont get anyway because FSG are a selling club and I will get f**k all incentives with their strategy, but I was offered 60k+40k in reality."

Triple your money they say, and Raheem now looks a greedy w**ker. Pearce must be very happy with his well paid job, fooling so many people at once. f**king blert

Put your reading glasses on. It's a leak from the players camp, not FSG   

Put your reading glasses on. It's a leak from the players camp, not FSG   

Know very little about this case mate, but I know more than enough about "negotiations" with one of the current LFC players and what pressure and dastardly tactics FSG used to force the player sign in a dotted line. bas**rds

This entire discussion appears to be a moot point because it looks like he's agitating for a move. According to ESPN, he is prepared to turn down a contract offer worth as much as £180,000 a week.

Here's the relevant paragraph:

Raheem Sterling should stay at Liverpool rather than cash out

Raheem Sterling's time at Liverpool may be drawing to a close. Sources from the player's camp have revealed that he is now prepared to turn down a contract offer worth as much as £180,000 a week. Sources from the club indicate that they are generous, but they are not stupid and they will not be messed around by a young man who has won the sum total of nothing and has played fewer than 100 Premier League games. There is much wrangling still to come, but with two years left on Sterling's contract, you suspect that this will be resolved one way or another this summer.

Declining, £180,000 a week for a player who hasn't a single honour to his name and less than 100 Premier League games under his belt isn't greed, it's a brazen attempt to move to a top European club where he'll rot on the bench if he's lucky, in the reserves if he's not. Still think the policy of developing young talent to win titles and trophies with is working, Mr Henry?

I'd take all these media stories with a pinch of salt mate.

Know very little about this case mate, but I know more than enough about "negotiations" with one of the current LFC players and what pressure and dastardly tactics FSG used to force the player sign in a dotted line. Bas**rds

Yes, because players never ever use dastardly tactics to get what they want.

I'd take all these media stories with a pinch of salt mate.

I think there will be an element of truth in them from both sides mate.

Yes, because players never ever use dastardly tactics to get what they want.

They do mate. But its Sterling´s gang move now, and if they dont make the "right" move then the internet warriors will be clearly on FSG side. The propaganda of these lot is unbelievable. Win-win for them. Never thought why Sterling hasnt commented on this saga yet? He would be eaten alive.

I'm beginning to believe it's not even about the money at all.  He's not holding out for a pay rise, he's holding out for a move away to achieve his ambitions of winning trophies.

Says a hell of a lot when we can't even convince a 20 year old that we can win stuff in the near future.  How sad that it's come to this, for a Club of our supposed stature.

Feeling quite depressed and utterly dejected now 

Never a truer word than what Andy Heaton said on Twitter the other day. That we are part of a journey for players now rather than the destination.

I'd take all these media stories with a pinch of salt mate.

It's being reported across a variety of media outlets, including an article today on The Anfield Wrap. It's not journalistic speculation, it's a leak by the player's camp so I think it's safe to assume this was never about money and always about angling for a way out of the club. Good luck to him if that's what he wants, so long as we get a good fee for him. What worries me far more than him leaving is a complete lack of confidence in our transfer committee's ability to spend the money wisely on a replacement.

Don't know who the "sources" are but ESPN usually doesn't report stuff unless they have a pretty solid handle on it. This article seems to make about the most sense of any I've seen.

Liverpool won't sell Raheem Sterling despite contract wrangle

Liverpool will not consider a deal to sell Raheem Sterling this summer even if he refuses to sign a new contract, sources have told ESPN FC.

Sterling, 20, is committed to stay at Anfield until 2017 and talks began in October to extend his deal until 2020. Indeed, Liverpool have offered the England winger around £100,000-a-week, a significant increase on his current salary of £35,000-a-week.

However, the player -- through his agent, Aidy Ward -- is understood to have asked for closer to £150,000-a-week, a wage that would put him among the top earners at Anfield.


With talks stalling, however, Sterling has decided to put further contract negotiations on hold until the end of the season, something manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed earlier this month.

Rodgers has repeatedly stated that he believes Liverpool are the best club to continue Sterling's development, but the Reds feel under no pressure to sell the winger and are determined not to pay him more than they feel he is worth.

Liverpool would be entitled to a fee from any club looking to sign him even if he allowed his contract to run out in 2017, as he would still be under 24 at that point. If that were to happen, any such fee would be decided by an independent tribunal, with Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini recently claiming that his market value was £100 million.

So lets say he wont sign a new contract and he runs down his contract
 He will be on 35K per week  til his contract expires,  and seeing he was offered 100k than he is refusing a pay rise of 65k x wk .thats over 6M  by january 2017....if I  made my math right

YNWA
 
     

   

1 April 2015 Last updated at 16:57
Raheem Sterling plans to discuss new Liverpool deal in the summer

Raheem Sterling tells BBC Sport he's not a "money-grabbing 20-year-old" as speculation about his Liverpool future rumbles on.

The England international has put contract talks on hold and says he will not discuss a new deal with the club until the end of the season, no matter how big a deal he might be offered.

Sterling, who has two years left on a contract that gives him £35,000 a week, confirms he had already turned down a deal worth £100,000 a week.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport's Natalie Pirks, Sterling insists he is motivated by trophies not financial rewards and says his sole focus is playing football and achieving success with Liverpool this season.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32143180

So lets say he wont sign a new contract and he runs down his contract
 He will be on 35K per week  til his contract expires,  and seeing he was offered 100k than he is refusing a pay rise of 65k x wk .thats over 6M  by january 2017....if I  made my math right

YNWA

Not unless he's planning on this.  I hope our legal teams realise that if we don't sell him in the summer and he doesn't sign an extension, we could lose him for nothing next January.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webster_ruling

Our Club could end up more fu**ed up than under H&G if there isn't a rethink on our contracts.

I really think he's off from reading that. He wants to join a bigger club, a club that's full of world class players and challenging title and cups.

Never a truer word than what Andy Heaton said on Twitter the other day. That we are part of a journey for players now rather than the destination.

Yep.  Working under a great Coach where you'll develop as a player, shining in the PL, playing fantastic football to catch the eye of the big boys who actually win Titles and Trophies.

We'll be the wealthiest, best run Club yoyoing in and out of Europe and achieving nothing.  Just what I F***ing need 

Well done Raheem. 60+40 worth 100k. Tell them to f**k off and ask close to what Sturridge is on. They dig their own hole with that Daniels contract worth 150k signed while injured. Trophies John, can you hear me? Means not selling talented young players you´ve signed for peanuts. Thought that was your strategy - getting players cheap so to have spare money for top wages? Clearly not. Enjoying lucrative top 4 incomes, while refusing to pay top 4 wages. We all see your business strategy with LFC now John. Get real or f**k off

In other news, on November 24, 2014, Pablo Sandoval came to an agreement with the Boston Red Sox on a five-year, $100 million contract with a club option for a sixth year.

On November 25, 2014, Hanley Ramirez signed a four-year, $88 million deal with a fifth year vesting option worth $22 million, to return to the Boston Red Sox.

Well done Raheem. 60+40 worth 100k. Tell them to f**k off and ask close to what Sturridge is on. They dig their own hole with that Daniels contract worth 150k signed while injured. Trophies John, can you hear me? Means not selling talented young players you´ve signed for peanuts. Thought that was your strategy - getting players cheap so to have spare money for top wages? Clearly not. Enjoying lucrative top 4 incomes, while refusing to pay top 4 wages. We all see your business strategy with LFC now John. Get real or f**k off

If we could get these oily fuckers out, it would be better than winning the Champions Lge AND Premier League. TWICE.

Cue response from the Fenwaygimps...

Not unless he's planning on this.  I hope our legal teams realise that if we don't sell him in the summer and he doesn't sign an extension, we could lose him for nothing next January.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webster_ruling

Our Club could end up more fu**ed up than under H&G if there isn't a rethink on our contracts.

We won't loose him to nothing. Any player signed under the age of 24 has to have compensation paid to the loosing club. The level of that compensation is determined by an independent tribunal. We won't get £50 million for him but we'd still make a profit. I think right now the best thing for him to do is shut his and his agent's gob and focus on his football. There's far too much being leaked to the media from his camp.