It may seem very much as if Raheem Sterling has burnt his bridges with Liverpool for good. After his agent’s recent reported outbursts about not signing a new contract – comments that he says he didn’t make – Liverpool reportedly pulled out of contract talks in an effort to preserve their dignity – and rightly so.
Whether or not Ward made the comments, he does appear to be having an influence on proceedings and the relationship between Liverpool and the player does not seem healthy right now.
But we saw with Wayne Rooney that a seemingly impossible situation can be resolved – in the summer of 2013 Rooney appeared destined for a move from Manchester United after falling out with Sir Alex. But that ostensibly irretrievable situation was sorted out and Wazza is now the captain of United.
It seems to us that Sterling could win back the hearts and minds of Liverpool fans by simply getting rid of his agent. Liverpool legend John Aldridge had this to say about agent Aidy Ward:
“His agent has got to realise the predicament he has got this lad into,” he said.
“The way he has gone about handling the situation with Raheem is pathetic.
“Look after the lad. This is a baby. He had a real good spell from November to February and the lad has since just disappeared up his own backside.
“Yesterday [for England] epitomised what he has come to.”
By admitting that he has been badly represented by Ward, he could put the past behind him and concentrate on rediscovering his best game with a clean slate at Liverpool. A change may be as good as a rest as far as his form goes. But there are no guarantees that a new club will help him return to the boil. Indeed, we have seen countless examples of how a big money transfer can destroy a player.
Sterling: Flyer
We have always felt that Liverpool is the right club for Sterling at this stage of his career. If Liverpool aren’t reaching The Champions League in two or three years then he can reconsider – he will still be in his early ti mid-twenties. But he should also be mindful of how this great club has helped him to develop into the player he is today.
Does he really want this agent advising him for the rest of his career anyway? Would he really want Ward to oversee a move to Real Madrid or Chelsea? If we were in his boots, we would have a serious think about that before anything else. Anyone got Jorge Mendes’s number?
Liverpool fans: any way back for Raheem?
