The Ongoing Serie A, La Liga, All English Football, Champions League Thread - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Part 34

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[B]

Liverpool officially reject £40m offer from Manchester City for Sterling.

You know what I find somewhat interesting. Liverpool supposedly offered Sterling £100k a week deal which he rejected, but are now rejecting bids of £30m & £40m for him. They are kinda sending the wrong message to Sterling if they want to keep him because rejecting those bids mean they value Sterling at more than both offers.

So if they value him as say a £40m+ player, then why did they "only" offer him £100k a week as the wage doesn't match the value IMO.

 

[Iceman]

I guess youth adds a lot to transfer value but clubs are reluctant to pay very young players the really big bucks in terms of salaries. They'd probably be offering Sterling more if he was a few years older.

 

[DeadPresident]

Sterling is this generation's Shaun Wright-Phillips. He's not worth £100,000k a week and he's not worth a penny over £25m in terms of a transfer fee. Season before last and after 3 good games Ross Barkley is suddenly "worth" £50m, then last season he doesn't perform at all and becomes a non-entity. Sterling would have to put in much more consistent and solid performances before he can be valued or even spoken of as an elite player. The insane level of hype associated with one good performance is the work of clever agents trying to get their next big cash in off a naive player.

 

[Darthphere]

Raheem living a dream.

 

[kit1982]

Shaun Wright-Phillips.... that's harsh! I do agree though DP, I found it weird that Harry Kane had his place for the Euro's booked before he'd even made his England debut. Sterling is a prime example of too much too soon, in a year he's gone from the top of the World to relying on Roy Hodgson keeping faith in him.

 

[Darthphere]

It's a problem in football these days. They don't let their youngsters develop and are dooming them to fail most of the time.

 

[B]

The Shaun Wright Phillips comparison is pretty spot on, had 1 or 2 good seasons at City when they were mid-table - relegation contenders, moved to Chelsea for at the time big money & never developed into the 'Beckham replacement' the tabloid/media all proclaimed he would.

It's pretty crazy I think that City even offered £30m for him nevermind £40m & I think it's just as crazy that Liverpool didn't accept. Pride doesn't get you anywhere in football & something tells me rejecting those offers was a pride thing because based on what I've seen of Sterling, he's not worth a fee on par or higher than Sanchez/Fabregas & that's what £30m - £40m can buy you in today's transfer market.

Sterling should stay where he is, he'll be a valuable player for Liverpool next season or a part timer at City... or indeed any top club he goes to. That's not to say that Liverpool have a worse team than say the likes of City, Chelsea, United, Arsenal, Tottenham etc but Sterling would mean more to them than he would elsewhere I feel. Better for England as well if he stays there to develop as well than to go to City and get ruined.. like Rodwell, Sinclair, Milner, Richards etc.

 

[Zantera]

Liverpool are crazy for rejecting that bid. City are crazy for even making it in the first place. I wouldn't pay £10m for Sterling, but they are making a crazy bid over one season. On the other hand, Liverpool clearly aren't good with money, and if you look at their most recent signings, most of them have tanked. So even if they got £50m for Sterling, I'm not sure if they would spend it wisely.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I think Sterling is much better than being given credit for in here. He has great close control, a low center of gravity and electric pace. He's young so his final ball and finishing isn't up to snuff yet, but he's very much a top young talent who I think will push on to become a top player in Europe.

 

[kit1982]

I will say I'm not having him put anywhere near the bracket of a Sinclair, Adam Johnson or SWP, the guy played a big part in a title assault and impressed internationally. He has more class than those lot in his left foot. He just ain't £40 million yet, although if Phil Jones is worth £16 million....

 

[DeadPresident]

Shaun Wright-Phillips.... that's harsh! I do agree though DP, I found it weird that Harry Kane had his place for the Euro's booked before he'd even made his England debut. Sterling is a prime example of too much too soon, in a year he's gone from the top of the World to relying on Roy Hodgson keeping faith in him.

Haha, I think in hindsight it may be accurate. SWP was very promising, but flopped massively and didn't live up to the messiah caliber prospect the footballing world placed on him. The strange thing is Harry Kane had a ridiculous breakout season, to be posting numbers similar to a #9 like Costa but being 5 years younger is insane. But somehow Sterling, who had a relatively average season, is the player being touted as the next big thing? It's hype, and it's the media and his reps that are creating this perception around him. Kane = 32 goals in 53 games, little chatter about him. Sterling, 7 goals 7 assists in 35 games = worth more than Alexis Sanchez, Diego Costa or Eden Hazard?

The Shaun Wright Phillips comparison is pretty spot on, had 1 or 2 good seasons at City when they were mid-table - relegation contenders, moved to Chelsea for at the time big money & never developed into the 'Beckham replacement' the tabloid/media all proclaimed he would.

It's pretty crazy I think that City even offered £30m for him nevermind £40m & I think it's just as crazy that Liverpool didn't accept. Pride doesn't get you anywhere in football & something tells me rejecting those offers was a pride thing because based on what I've seen of Sterling, he's not worth a fee on par or higher than Sanchez/Fabregas & that's what £30m - £40m can buy you in today's transfer market.

Sterling should stay where he is, he'll be a valuable player for Liverpool next season or a part timer at City... or indeed any top club he goes to. That's not to say that Liverpool have a worse team than say the likes of City, Chelsea, United, Arsenal, Tottenham etc but Sterling would mean more to them than he would elsewhere I feel. Better for England as well if he stays there to develop as well than to go to City and get ruined.. like Rodwell, Sinclair, Milner, Richards etc.

Agreed on this.

I think Sterling is much better than being given credit for in here. He has great close control, a low center of gravity and electric pace. He's young so his final ball and finishing isn't up to snuff yet, but he's very much a top young talent who I think will push on to become a top player in Europe.

I didn't articulate this in my post but I by no means think Sterling isn't a good player, I think he's shown fantastic signs. But the air that he's carrying himself around with and what his agents are encouraging him to buy into is one of established quality, which I don't think he has. He has the ability, but being able to turn that ability into consistent performances is a different matter. If Sterling stays at Liverpool and just plays 40+ games a season for 2-3 seasons he'll be able to get to the point where he is a Hazard/Ribery/Sanchez level player.

The thing that I find vexing is he seems to want people (most importantly Liverpool) to treat him like he's already arrived at the destination that his talent is hinting at. I truly believe if he moves to a Chelsea/City where he's going to be used when it suits the manager, not as a regular pillar of the team, he won't develop to his formidable ceiling and become one of those European elites. He could be the next Hazard or Alexis Sanchez, but he won't turn into that if he's just a new toy at one of the money clubs.

 

[Zantera]

So far he has one fantastic season and one godawful season. It's really too early to tell yet.

 

[DeadPresident]

I will say I'm not having him put anywhere near the bracket of a Sinclair, Adam Johnson or SWP, the guy played a big part in a title assault and impressed internationally. He has more class than those lot in his left foot. He just ain't £40 million yet.

To be fair kit, the title assault was led by Suarez. Without that player LFC, and Sterling by extension, fell quite a distance. He's better than Adam Johnson and Sinclair for sure, but he is now exactly where SWP was just before he moved on to Chelsea.

http://www.espnfc.com/player/5030/shaun-wright-phillips?season=2004

SWP had 13 goals and 2 assists, and then 12 goals and 6 assists in his second last and last campaigns with City respectively. At that point about 22ish years old.

 

[kit1982]

Sorry mate can't agree there, Sterling's 21 he isn't going to influence that team the way one of the top 5 players in the world did. Barca for all their stars aren't the same without Messi. It's not right to simply ignore Sterlings contribution to that side.
As for SWP, he really isn't, SWP had pace and a booming shot that was it. He had made no real impact for England.... he was unproven outside of the midtable of the Premier League. Sterling has shown there is far more to his game in a shorter period.

I agree he could go the same way if he isn't careful, I want him to stay at Liverpool... but I do think he has already shown he is more of a big club player than some of the people he's being lumped in with. You can't compare playing for City pre-Sheikh to Liverpool.

 

[DeadPresident]

Sorry mate can't agree there, Sterling's 21 he isn't going to influence that team the way one of the top 5 players in the world did. Barca for all their stars aren't the same without Messi. It's not right to simply ignore Sterlings contribution to that side.
As for SWP, he really isn't, SWP had pace and a booming shot that was it. He had made no real impact for England.... he was unproven outside of the midtable of the Premier League. Sterling has shown there is far more to his game in a shorter period.

I agree he could go the same way if he isn't careful, I want him to stay at Liverpool... but I do think he has already shown he is more of a big club player than some of the people he's being lumped in with. You can't compare playing for City pre-Sheikh to Liverpool.

Fair enough, and I think that's all I'm saying is Sterling could either make the step up to consistently affecting games or he could become what SWP did at Chelsea. I'm also in the Sterling at LFC camp, if he's going to develop that's really the best place to do it.

To Sterling's credit when Suarez left and Sturridge was out injured he pulled some victories out for Liverpool and showed a lot more maturity than most 21 year old players have. IMO, that could all be for nothing if he moves now though. Nobody is going to remember that time against so and so when he turned a 1-1 draw into a 2-1 win if he moves to City and ends up not being able to replicate his Liverpool performances there. And being as young as he is these next 2-3 seasons are massive in terms of shaping what kind of player he'll turn into. He may be better than the likes of Sinclair and Johnson, but at City where it's the PL title or bust Sterling will get bricked out of the team at the first sight of a non-stellar performance - of which he had a fair number this last season.

The kid is a prodigious talent, no doubt, but he has a long way to go before he can be considered more than a flash in the pan from a career perspective.

 

[Iceman]

Sterling has shown more promise at his best than other young players, especially other English players. It isn't just the work of agents as he's rated across Europe by the guys who often write off (usually rightly so) young English players. If he was available for £25m I'd steal the money myself and sell him the day after at auction (with Mike Ashley getting nothing out of it). If he gets into a good setup with the right coaching/management he can be a top talent.

 

[DeadPresident]

Sterling has shown more promise at his best than other young players, especially other English players. It isn't just the work of agents as he's rated across Europe by the guys who often write off (usually rightly so) young English players. If he was available for £25m I'd steal the money myself and sell him the day after at auction (with Mike Ashley getting nothing out of it). If he gets into a good setup with the right coaching/management he can be a top talent.

In my view, he's there already. Pelligrini or Mourinho can't really consistently develop talent, they can take a bunch of 24+ year old players and make a well oiled machine deliver a PL title, but they're not going to turn a raw Sterling into an elite player. If Sterling cared about his career he'd either stay at Liverpool, or go to Arsenal. I could see him being developed properly at either of those two clubs.

Hindsight makes memories less intense, but people really did have the same reaction to SWP as they're having to Sterling now. Just with a lot less drama about legal highs and atrocious interviews. Comparatively though, Sterling is a better player now than SWP was at the same age, that I agree with.

 

[DeadPresident]

On the Sterling topic, a new video was released of him doing nitrous oxide again. Seems to me like if you wanted to engineer a move away to another club dropping a story like this would be a good way of doing it.

 

[kit1982]

Oh for sure a Mourinho type of manager would hammer him, I don't think City are quite as ruthless as your lot or Chelsea yet, a bit like Arsenal a lot of guys there get a free ride. I'd really start to worry for him if he went there and Pellegrini was sacked!

Btw mate, you are right I remember the SWP hype being intense, his dad was getting interviewed every other week and you couldn't go anywhere without seeing that goal against United in the derby. The funny thing for me is that once his hype train went, the british public went bat**** crazy for Aaron Lennon!

 

[Iceman]

In my view, he's there already. Pelligrini or Mourinho can't really consistently develop talent, they can take a bunch of 24+ year old players and make a well oiled machine deliver a PL title, but they're not going to turn a raw Sterling into an elite player. If Sterling cared about his career he'd either stay at Liverpool, or go to Arsenal. I could see him being developed properly at either of those two clubs.

Hindsight makes memories less intense, but people really did have the same reaction to SWP as they're having to Sterling now. Just with a lot less drama about legal highs and atrocious interviews. Comparatively though, Sterling is a better player now than SWP was at the same age, that I agree with.

He's got the skills but now he needs to do something with them. And having the skills is the thing that can't be taught. I really think it's about whether he can hold down a regular place in the team he chooses to go to. That's the requirement. He should aim for the club who will threaten most realistically on the largest number of fronts and the highest level but where he can still play regularly. Playing in the CL will benefit him and it could be a while before Liverpool get back in and even when they do I think their place will be in the balance every year. Arsenal would be ideal although they already have 48 attacking midfielders and wingers and I don't know if he's best as an out and out striker. I don't think he'll sink like the other guys who have come before as he's better and even the Italians, Spaniards and Germans have taken notice of him unlike the other young English players.

 

[Iceman]

On the Sterling topic, a new video was released of him doing nitrous oxide again. Seems to me like if you wanted to engineer a move away to another club dropping a story like this would be a good way of doing it.

Again?! I guess it was taken before the first one was public. Hope so anyway. Otherwise I'd be thinking twice about buying him. You have to be a real idiot to do it again after you've been caught. At least get some mates who aren't going to video you and release it every time!

 

[B]

I think Sterling is much better than being given credit for in here. He has great close control, a low center of gravity and electric pace. He's young so his final ball and finishing isn't up to snuff yet, but he's very much a top young talent who I think will push on to become a top player in Europe.

I don't think it's a case of anyone here underselling him, I think it's a case of is he capable of walking into any of Europe's top teams, commanding a first team spot & taking them to the next level? Is he actually worth a fee that the likes of World Class players like Sanchez, Ozil, Fabregas have all moved for in recent seasons? I think that's what everybody is doubting.

 

[kit1982]

To be fair Ozil hasnt been worth the fee Arsene paid for him! £40 odd million for a flat track bully.