Chelsea bids farewell to Raheem Sterling, who exits Stamford Bridge by mutual agreement, freeing up significant wage bill for the club.
With just a few days remaining of the winter transfer window across Europe, there is still anticipation and hope from the Chelsea faithful that it will be an exciting climax to come.
Although no players have been signed, it is clear that the club have tried to bring in players - such as Douglas Luiz from Juventus (via his loan at Nottingham Forest), where the player decided himself to return back to Aston Villa.
Well, a transfer window is not just about incomings. It is also about outgoings, and there is one to report. Indeed, as Chelsea have this afternoon - at 16:00 GMT - confirmed that winger Raheem Sterling has left the club by mutual consent.
The 31-year-old signed a five-year contract in the summer of 2022 after joining from Manchester City, but leaves three and a half years into that deal, with things not working out for him in SW6.
There were some flashes of brilliance in his first two seasons at the club - his performance against his former club, City, in a 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge in November of 2023 instantly springs to mind.
In the 23/24 season, only Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson bettered Sterling's eight goals in the Premier League. Still, truthfully, his moments were few and far between, and he was unable to replicate the form he had shown at Liverpool, City, and the England national team throughout his career.
Ahead of the 24/25 season, he was loaned out to Arsenal, where he was reunited with Mikel Arteta, whom he had worked with at Manchester City. However, things did not go well, and he totalled just 1155 minutes across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing five assists.
During his three and a half years at the club, he has reportedly been earning 300k a week, which has been burning a massive hole in the club's finances. Journalist David Ornstein said this move has "secured savings" for the club, suggesting they agreed on a middle ground with the player regarding paying the rest of his contract.
A real shame things did not work out. It's hard to believe that Sterling was only 27 when he joined Chelsea. He only turned 31 last month. However, with the high volume of football he played early in his career, he realistically has the body of a 35- or 36-year-old, and this is the result.
Good luck to him with whatever is next.
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