Chelsea's Raheem Sterling 'fuming' over Man City exit
Karan Tejwani
- 20 Aug 2022 08:30 CDT
- 3 min read
Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling has spoken out about the manner of his Manchester City exit, admitting he was angry over how his final weeks at the English champions panned out.
Sterling moved to Chelsea back in July, becoming the first signing of the Todd Boehly era at Stamford Bridge, and has been a key player under Thomas Tuchel so far this season.
That wasn’t often the case under Pep Guardiola last season, as he was often rotated and barely started in the tail end of last season, especially in crucial Champions League games.
That disappointed Sterling, who felt he gave his heart out and he wasn’t treated in the same way, encouraging him to leave the Etihad Stadium after seven years there.
Related articles
Sterling "raging" over Manchester City exit
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Englishman said: “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.”
Asked why things didn’t work out, Sterling added: “Misunderstandings, contracts running down. It was a shame to see how it ended in the end because I had such a great time there.
“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.”
Raheem Sterling has 225 goal contributions for Man City in 337 games! 🔥
Here are some of his best in the Champions League... 🤩 pic.twitter.com/FcGBvmwzbb— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) July 6, 2022
Sterling played for Manchester City between 2015 and 2022, making 339 appearances and scoring 131, having some starring years under Guardiola.
He also won a host of trophies there, including four Premier League titles, one FA Cup, five League Cups and was part of the team that lost the Champions League final to Chelsea in 2021.
Sterling has so far featured heavily for Chelsea, making his home debut last weekend in a feisty match against rivals Tottenham, but is yet to score his first competitive goal for the club.
Chelsea travel to Yorkshire next to face Leeds United, and Sterling will be hoping to get off the mark in that fixture against Jesse Marsch’s side.
