Raheem Sterling told how he can ‘only blame himself’ for Chelsea failings

Raheem Sterling has been told that he only has himself to blame for being sidelined at Chelsea after two years of underperforming, according to former Stamford Bridge defender William Gallas.

The England winger had no choice but to leave or face the prospect of not featuring at all under Blues boss Enzo Maresca after the Italian made it very clear that Sterling was not part of his plans for the current campaign.

A loan switch to London rivals Arsenal eventually went through on deadline day, but only after Sterling had put out a statement after being left out of the squad for the opening game of Chelsea’s season.

While the transfer activity at Stamford Bridge since the club was taken over as raised many eyebrows, Gallas believes Sterling needs to look at himself when it comes to his lack of playing time and failure to reach the same levels he dis at Liverpool and Manchester City.

“Sometimes players need to blame themselves when things don’t work out at their club. Raheem Sterling was in the situation that he was at Chelsea because he didn’t perform for two years,” Gallas told Gambling Zone.

“He didn’t score or create enough goals and the new manager would’ve watched him and made the decision that he doesn’t want him in his squad, that’s not the manager’s fault.

“Now everybody is interested to see how he does at Arsenal and sometimes players need to feel the love of their manager to get the best out of them. For me personally, I didn’t need to feel that from a manager. Even if the manager didn’t like me I had to make sure I was playing well enough that he couldn’t afford to put me on the bench.”

Sterling still tipped to be an Arsenal success

The 29-year-old scored 19 goals and added 12 assists across two seasons with Chelsea and although Gallas does not feel those figures justify Sterling’s talents, the Frenchman has backed the attacker to still go well at The Emirates.

“I think Raheem Sterling is going to enjoy himself at Arsenal. He had a big smile on his face during the announcement and I think it’s his dream to play for the club,” said the Frenchman.

“As a footballer, it’s very important to enjoy yourself on the pitch and to have that passion.

“His experience of working with Mikel Arteta at Manchester City could help him get back to his best, but we need to see how much he’s got left.”

Sterling is in line to make his Gunners debut in the north London derby on Sunday in an Arsenal team that will be missing Declan Rice through suspension and potentially Martin Odegaard after he was injured on international duty with Norway.

Chelsea days are numbered for Sterling

While there is no option for Arsenal to buy Sterling at the end of his loan, his days at Stamford Bridge do appear numbered – especially with Brazilian attacker Estevao Willian arriving when he turns 18 next summer.

Willian can play out wide but his agent claims Chelsea will look to use him as a No.10. Regardless of those comments, the addition of another forward to Maresca’s ranks is almost certainly a further nail in Sterling’s coffin.

Meanwhile, another Blues winger, Mykhaylo Mudryk, has been told how he can win the Ballon d’Or despite failing to live up to the expectations of his £89m switch so far.

Mudryk is a superstar of Ukrainian football and his international teammate Georgiy Sudakov believes it’s only a matter of time before he showcases his true qualities in west London.

Add in Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku to that attacking mix, plus the fact that Jadon Sancho’s loan deal has an option to buy and Sterling faces an uncertain future in 2025.

Sterling stats don’t tell the whole story

Looking into Sterling’s stats last season, he certainly wasn’t a disaster for Chelsea and he stacks up well against Gabriel Martinelli on the left of the Arsenal forward line.

The issue for the former City man is that Leonardo Trossard is often alternated with Martinelli and has proven a huge hit for the Gunners since his move from Brighton in January 2023. Indeed, the Belgian has notched 19 goals in 71 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions to date.

So where Sterling actually fits in at Arsenal remains to be seen at this stage as he looks to begin the next chapter of his career and eventually secure that next big move in the summer of 2025.

READ MORE ➡️ Chelsea transfers: Galatasaray working to secure Blues signing after Osimhen transfer