Raheem Sterling’s Chelsea future could be made even bleaker soon by the potential departure of Carney Chukwuemeka.
Despite featuring prominently in pre-season under new Blues head coach Enzo Maresca, Sterling was ousted from the Italian’s squad as they lost 2-0 to champions Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in what was later confirmed as a tactical decision for their Premier League opener.
The Englishman, who was one of co-controlling owner Todd Boehly’s first recruits, has endured some tough times in west London. He was even booed off by his own fans against Leicester in the FA Cup last season.
Chukwuemeka publicly supported his colleague at the time, despite the criticism towards Sterling. But the prospect of the pair being split up looks even more likely now, given Maresca has hinted he young midfielder could also depart before the window shuts.
“Carney is a very good player, but because of some injuries in the past, I think it’s important he plays 30 or 35 games in a row,” Maresca told Football.London. “Is he going to play that for us? I’m not sure.”
Chukwuemeka, 20, has attracted reported interest from Premier League outfit Crystal Palace and has been linked with bigger moves to both Barcelona, who are strapped for midfielders, and AC Milan.
The youngster, who is also reportedly open to a loan move, admires Sterling and admitted after the 29-year-old’s sub-par outing against Leicester earlier this year: “Raheem is an experienced player – he’s had an amazing career.
Chukwuemeka (L) and Sterling (R) have struck up a bond at Chelsea
“We know what a great footballer he is. He’s contributed to goals and assists and won many penalties for the team this season. It happens. He’s human.
“Players miss chances or have an off day. We stay behind him. He still got an assist for Cole Palmer’s goal. For us youngsters, especially me, he’s helped us a lot since we came. He’s always on at us, showing us what we can do better, what we can improve on. That’s outside of football as well as in.”
Sterling continued to feature under Pochettino after the performance, and even after the Argentinian was sacked, it still seemed like he would be part of the first-team squad, judging by how pre-season went.
The England forward’s camp released a statement on the back of his opening-game exodus, outlining that their “expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity” and that they “look forward to gaining clarity on the situation”.
However, with big-money man Pedro Neto arriving for £54m and other players like Noni Madueke being preferred, it seems likely that Sterling’s tenure could end soon, and he may have one less dressing-room ally while the saga plays out.
“I want Raheem Sterling, but I want all the 30 players we have,” Maresca said, addressing Sterling’s exclusion from his matchday squad. “But, there is no space for all of them. So for some of them, they have to leave.”
