When Will Raheem Sterling Leave Chelsea?

When Will Raheem Sterling Leave Chelsea?

Raheem Sterling is one of football’s most puzzling case studies: considered a wonderkid at Liverpool, world-class at Manchester City, and ‘washed’ at Chelsea at the age of just 29, the Englishman has long been one of the Premier League’s most divisive figures.

Initially brought to Chelsea as a new star player, Sterling has seen his role slowly fade into obscurity - he hasn’t played a game for the Blues since the end of the 2023/24 season, barely featured in a loan move to Arsenal last campaign, and is yet to play a single game in 2025/26.

He won’t be complaining - being paid £325,000 per week to sit on the bench has its upsides - but many have wondered where it went wrong for him at Chelsea.

Raheem Sterling, Minister of Enjoyment😊 pic.twitter.com/IKbHK2xqdG

— Ricardo🧩⏳ (@SalauRicardo) December 22, 2025

As for myself, as a Chelsea fan, I am wondering when we will finally find a way of shifting his extortionate wages elsewhere. It beggars belief that despite his status as the club's top earner, the four-time Premier League winner can’t buy himself a game. So, when will the absurdity end?

Sterling’s Time at Chelsea

When Raheem Sterling arrived at Chelsea from Manchester City at the beginning of the 2022/23 season, things got off to a fairly decent start. Sure, he wasn’t the same Sterling who had banged in 31 goals three seasons previously, but the English winger still boasted quick thinking, rapid dribbling, and that all-important Premier League experience, helping him net nine times and assist four more.

When Raheem Sterling was competing against the likes of Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski 🔥

Don't forget. pic.twitter.com/7zrT3HwAtB

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) December 18, 2025

He was one of the brighter spots in a Chelsea campaign that, for all intents and purposes, can be considered a disaster; the Blues finished 12th and saw four managers come and go and conceded more than they scored.

Many thought he had given himself a solid platform to build on in 2024/25, and in the early stages, he looked excellent. His return of 10 goals and eight assists was nothing special, but once again valuable.

However, that doesn’t tell close to the full story - six of these contributions came in cup competitions against easier opposition, and towards the end of the campaign, Pochettino lost faith in him, instead putting his trust in the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke and Christopher Nkunku, who is not a natural winger.

One particular performance, a 4-2 home victory against Leicester in the FA Cup, can be considered the critical turning point of his Chelsea career. A missed penalty, a glaring one-on-one miss, and a free kick that remained in the earth’s orbit, Sterling put on an absolute disaster class and was promptly plonked on the bench for the majority of the remainder of the season.

Throwback to when Raheem Sterling dropped an absolute stinker against Enzo Maresca’s Leicester City, and the coach decided to ship him off the moment he arrived at Chelsea.😭

pic.twitter.com/2i7YeLoiTF

— Stephen ᜰ (@Cfcstephenn) November 6, 2025

Ironically, current Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was Leicester coach at the time, and witnessed the genuinely awful performance firsthand - no wonder he hasn't played him since arriving at the club.

The following season, Chelsea were more than happy to send him out on loan to Arsenal, a club that has long been considered the Chelsea retirement home, and it was with no shortage of joy that Blues fans watched him fail to find form for the Gunners, netting a solitary goal and setting up five in 28 games.

This season, despite extensive outreach in the summer transfer window, Chelsea encountered some bad news that surprised very few – no one wanted him.

Why Sterling Hasn’t Left Chelsea

This is down to a number of reasons, but the most obvious and significant is his wage. £325,000 is a lot of money on a one-time basis, so to be giving that away weekly to an individual for doing next to nothing appears suicidal.

Chelsea obviously want to move him on as quickly as possible, but it is not quite as simple as that. As long as Sterling is happy to sit on the bench collecting his many, many pennies, he isn’t going to move an inch, and with his contract expiring in the summer of 2027, he has plenty of time yet to see out.

Though of course he will be yearning to play competitive football, Sterling will be perfectly happy to earn his pay cheques while he isn't, in a bid to set both him and his family up for his post-football career.

Tied in with this is the fact that while Sterling is still at Chelsea, any prospective clubs who enter the race for him can expect to receive equally high salary demands - given that newly promoted Leeds United are currently leading this race, something tells me they don't have a spare £325,000 lying around in their weekly budget.

Sterling has also stated that he is comfortable living in London, where one of his sons plays for the Arsenal academy - this severely limits the number of clubs he could realistically sign for to a mere handful. Perhaps this is the truth, or maybe he is being deliberately picky so as to force a move - either way, he has earned plenty of dosh as

‼️ According to The Athletic, Raheem Sterling turned down Bayern not for football, but family. He wanted to stay in London, where his partner and children are settled.https://t.co/tDY2JKsdEY

— Vince™ (@Blue_Footy) September 25, 2025

The Blues hierarchy have even considered mutually terminating his contract at Chelsea, but given that they would need to pay him around £22 million in unpaid wages, this is not exactly an enticing option.

Who is Interested in Sterling

It is clear that with his current wages, Sterling won’t be going anywhere. If he wants to leave Chelsea in order to receive more minutes, he must take a pay cut. If he is willing to do so, suddenly a myriad of options present themselves to him.

Of course, Leeds are interested, as Daniel Farke is looking to bolster his somewhat misfiring attack in a bid to stay up, while Celtic have also registered their interest in the past months.

Because of his London preference, Sterling turned down a host of offers from Champions League clubs across Europe, including German giants Bayern Munich - they would have been able to offer him nearly the same outrageous wages, but they would not have been able to provide him the home base that London offers, so a continental move appears off the table.

One thing is guaranteed - Chelsea will be Sterling’s last ‘elite’ destination. He simply isn’t good enough anymore to be playing regularly for serial trophy contenders, particularly in a team that emphasises youth and potential above all else.

However, it remains to be seen when Sterling will leave Chelsea, if at all - after all, £22 million over the next year and a half is a massive windfall, one that no one in their right mind would ever think of walking away from.

‼️Chelsea still appear hopeful of avoiding paying off the large sum owed to Raheem Sterling, while it would be unthinkable for anyone – including Sterling – to walk away from such a windfall, which he may never earn again.

~ @NizaarKinsella pic.twitter.com/bz8qqPLHcy

— Vince™ (@Blue_Footy) December 23, 2025

If he does wrangle a move elsewhere, whichever agent or sporting director persuaded him to do so deserves a knighthood.