
Rio Ferdinand (foto: splet)
Rio Ferdinand harshly criticized Chelsea’s treatment of players, particularly Raheem Sterling, who was unexpectedly left out of the squad for the match against Manchester City without any explanation.
Rio Ferdinand has launched a scathing critique of Chelsea regarding their handling of players, specifically focusing on the treatment of Raheem Sterling. Sterling was suddenly left out of the squad for the match against Manchester City, and he reportedly received no explanation from the club.
After the match, Sterling demanded clarification from the club’s management about his future, describing his exclusion as something that "came out of nowhere." Ferdinand emphasized the impact of such decisions on team dynamics: "I see all these young players in the squad, and when we talk about Raheem, he’s like an uncle to them. Cole Palmer, Reece James… He’s looked after many of these guys, they always came to him. When you kick a player like that out of the locker room, many of them will start 'jumping around' at some point, and they won’t take it well, creating a problem in the locker room."
Ferdinand continued, highlighting the lack of communication: "No one is clarifying what’s going on, and from what I hear, even Sterling doesn’t understand his position. No one from the management has come to him and said, 'listen, you’re surplus to requirements, we want to move you on.' I’ve also heard that they inform them about everything via email and such, which is just absurd."
When asked about Sterling’s situation, Enzo Maresca commented: "I want him here, but we have 30 players, there’s not enough room for all of them, and some have to go. The manager makes decisions. Sometimes players don’t like it, and that’s normal. It’s a technical decision, nothing more. We’ll clarify things with Rahim in the coming days."
Raheem Sterling joined Chelsea in 2022 from Manchester City and has since scored 19 goals in 81 appearances for the club.