Why Raheem Sterling could cost Chelsea ‘way more than £40m’ over the next two years

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Adam Williams has exclusively told TBR Football that Raheem Sterling could cost Chelsea over £40million throughout the remainder of his contract.

Enzo Maresca has revealed that Sterling is not part of his plans at the club, with the England international being put in Chelsea’s infamous “bomb squad” ever since.

After failing to secure a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge following his loan spell at Arsenal last season, Sterling has been training away from the first team on his own.

It’s a situation that has garnered Chelsea plenty of negative press recently, but it’s also costing the club financially.

Exclusive: Raheem Sterling’s ongoing situation might have a broader impact on Chelsea

TBR Football’s finance expert, Adam Williams, explained how Sterling’s circumstances are impacting the club: “No one is winning in the Sterling situation. Chelsea are losing £325,000 every week, giving that money to a player who isn’t in their plans.

“That’s nearly £17m per year. On top of that, there’s National Insurance and so on, so it’s probably actually closer to £20m annually. Over two years remaining on his deal, that’s £40m.

“You also have the issues with the PFA now looking at the situation, which clearly isn’t great for PR. That said, Clearlake are obviously very thick-skinned and they aren’t going to let anything like that get to them personally. As it stands, the PFA don’t really have the means to launch any kind of action anyway. They are more just leaning on the club. That might change when the implications of the Lassana Diarra legal case fully materialise, but that’s a story for another time.

“Sterling could compromise on his wages and go somewhere, true, but he has a contract that the club are legally obliged to honour. He’s acting in his own interests, and why shouldn’t he? We can talk about what that says about his ambition and so on, but that’s his prerogative.

“I don’t think there is any good guy or bad guy in this scenario; it’s two parties operating in their own self-interest. Strategically, however, I think this is a disaster for Chelsea. If I’m an agent, would I advise my client to go to Chelsea? No chance. This keeps happening.

“Yes, you might get a bigger salary there than you might elsewhere, although the deals they give players are heavily-incentivised so you’re not as covered as you might be at another team, but it could also massively stall your career. If Chelsea get a reputation as a club that treat players as expendable, abstract nodes of wealth on a balance sheet, it’s not going to serve them well in the future. And the implications of that are worth way more than £40m.”

Chelsea will look to resolve Raheem Sterling’s situation in January

Sterling continues to train regularly to keep himself fit, which will ensure that he’s fully fit should he leave the club.

TBR Football revealed that Chelsea are hoping to sell Sterling in the January transfer window to end this situation.

Sterling moving on from Chelsea would be best for all parties at this point, as it would save the club a significant sum of money while getting him back playing.

Rio Ferdinand believes Sterling still has England aspirations, and if the veteran winger wants to be involved in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, then playing regular football will be a necessity.