There's a problem because of Sterling's agent, not Raheem himself. His agent has stalled it so he can leave who he's working for from what I read in the guardian.

The whole "Sterling is unhappy" thing happened when he signed his contract last season, too and he was actually calm about it the whole time. A lot of reports were made about him being unhappy back then too and he denied them, so no worries for him from me. He has 2, maybe even 3 years left on his deal anyway.

The main problem here is Henderson. City are going to lose Milner, and Henderson would replace him perfectly for them. So Jordan's the main priority as of right now for me.

He has 2, maybe even 3 years left on his deal anyway.

June 30, 2017

2014-15: 10 goals & six assists in 37 games
2013-14: 11 goals & 12 assists in 38 games

I thought he had a poor game against Southampton, didn't look like he could play center-forward when we needed him to keep the ball a bit and in general make himself available in Southampton's aggressive midfield and defense. Didn't look dangerous in attack when we got the ball up. Well done for the opportunistic goal, but I hope we don't play him as the center-forward in a tough game like this one again this season.

I'd like to put him in the wing-back position, him and Ibe there with Coutinho, Lallana and Sturridge in attack.

I'd like to put him in the wing-back position, him and Ibe there with Coutinho, Lallana and Sturridge in attack.

I would like to see that too. Just not sure how well he would do his defensive duties.

He's played wing-back before, not so much this season but in the previous two, and I think he's been just fine there, both ways.

Waste of talent as a wing back. We need his runs and unpredictability in the final third. With that said, he needs to pass more often.

agreed, pls not on wing back. Sterling needs to play in the front, we need more than one player who makes runs and who are desperate to get into goal scoring positions, like Lallana does few times.

Sterling was pretty bad against Southampton, but put in one of the worst displays I've seen from any Pool player this season against Besiktas. What's with him?

He's got found out, He needs to start playing on the wing again/deeper to find his feet.

Sort his contract also while we are it. Want to see Ibe more central.

he needs to be benched for 1-2 games and he will come back to his senses probably !!

I'm annoyed with him.

He's over-complicating things (pretty much like Sturridge)....where the basic option he plays his best football.

He tries to do too much when a simple pass keeps the play moving. He can't use the fatigue excuse as he had 2 weeks off, and also another 10 day rest because of the niggle.

It's all about the contract. Hope it gets sorted, because we need Sterling at his best to push for FA Cup and top 4.

What's his role?

Ever since Sturridge has come back I've been struggling to see what his role is. He looks confused, and out of depth. Not sure if his out of form, or mentally fatigued, contract or what not, not knowing his new role but we need him to overcome his struggles if we have any chance of the FA cup / top 4 finish.

Red Alert wrote:What's his role?

Ever since Sturridge has come back I've been struggling to see what his role is. He looks confused, and out of depth. Not sure if his out of form, or mentally fatigued, contract or what not, not knowing his new role but we need him to overcome his struggles if we have any chance of the FA cup / top 4 finish.

His role against Besiktas seemed to be behind Sturridge and Balotelli, but he failed to have any impact from there. Like I said during the match, we had zero play-making in the center when we had the ball in attack - which was almost never in the 2nd half.

What frustrated me the most about Sterling was how incredibly poorly he was making himself available, although he was supposed to be the player our midfield would look to when they got the ball. But Raheem was pretty much never anticipating attacks starting and getting forward in between the lines. He'd receive the ball, usually standing still, would dribble for a bit, getting nowhere, then either lose the ball or find a standard pass and start walking about again. Just a horrible performance from him in attacking midfield.

He struggled in whatever he played yesterday.

Looked spent. He could hardly run. Sturridge was the same. I genuinely wonder if they both play in the game against City because they literally couldn't run in the second half.

Sterling’s representatives, who have rejected the Reds’ latest offer of around £100,000 per week, are demanding around £150,000 per week.

he can judt f off with this attitude !! Sturridge who has scored 20 goals a season and have proved himself time and again, is on 120k I guess.

£100k per week for a 20-year-old is a bit much and should be the tops what we're offering. If he wants more than that, let him get it from somewhere else.

After 2 more seasons on 35k a week

mr-r34 wrote:After 2 more seasons on 35k a week

Exactly,

Every week that the Reds’ latest offer remains unsigned, Sterling is losing out financially as he remains on the salary he agreed back in December 2012.

I am not going to lie, I rather sell him than give him 150k. He's worth nowhere near that amount of money in his current 20 year old self. Paying that much money for potential is insane.

Best thing would be to keep him at 35k for another year see how much improvement he makes. Summer of 2016 sit down and renegotiate. He might even have regressed who knows. If he still doesn't sign in Summer 2016 we sell him for close to 50m. He'll be the one losing out for this season being stuck on only 35k.

He's not indispensable either and we can get someone who is better than him for cheaper (both fee and wages). Memphis and Griezmann already come to mind who are also young but currently arguably better than Sterling.

I also think 100k for him is insanely overboard but because he's important to our team I will be okay if he signs till 2020 for that.

Yeah so if he doesnt sign, He remains on 35k/w for this season only.

He'll force a transfer in the summer then.

Money grabbing needs to sorted at a young age, Anfield should boo him.

You know, I'm not convinced that Sterling is ever going to be a superstar after watching his progression this year. To me he doesn't have that competitive drive that guys like Coutinho, Suarez and Henderson have that have taken them to the next level at every step. No doubt he's blessed with incredible talent and physical ability, but how many players have we seen in the past with all the tools in the world to be a superstar that fail to make it because they are mentally fragile, or just don't have that passion for the game or work ethic? I'm not saying it's necessarily the case with Sterling, but he's definitely taken a step back this year when compared to his play last season.

To me, Coutinho signing so quickly at 70k with the type of performances he's been putting on display this season shows his commitment to the team and his love for the shirt.

If Sterling continues to hold out, especially with the talk about what kind of contract he's already been offered, I say sell him to the highest bidder in the summer and use that money to get someone else in. It sounds bad, and I'd be very happy to keep him, but he's in probably the most replaceable position on our roster with the likes of Coutinho, Lallana, Markovic and Ibe around as well as guys like Origi and Teixeira coming back, and even others waiting in the wings like Ojo, Wilson, Kent and Canos (not to mention any signings we could make this summer with a few bound to be sold). Nobody is more important than the team and I think Gerrard leaving exemplifies that. Sterling won't, and shouldn't, win a contract war with us.

With that said I hope he signs a contract soon and becomes the player that he has the ability to be.

Nah lol that's going too far Hank

It's probably not him but his stupid agent. Regardless, Sterling is never going to stay his whole prime with us and I've known this since he was 17 and just broke through. I just hope we sign someone good to replace him when it's time to sell him.

I think we'll sell him summer 2016 unless he signs a new contract though.

Ibe is gonna be better than him hopefully. As long as Sterling has his shit together on the field, I'd not boo him.

I agree with Cujo that it's not certain will Sterling become a superstar. He needs to add a little bit on the technical side, a little bit on the shooting side, a little bit on the passing side. While he is a good player already at 20, he's not showing the kind of "wow" factor that world class players do. So, yeah, I'm not sure is he ever going to be a £150k-per-week player in his career, let alone at 20.