Sterling’s Loan and Rosenior’s Strategic Decisions at Chelsea

Raheem Sterling joined Chelsea for the 2023-24 season, with the club paying £47.5 million ($64 million) to transfer him from Manchester City. However, Sterling’s standing within the team has diminished, leading to his loan to Arsenal for the 2024-25 campaign. Currently, he has not participated in any matches this season and is reportedly training separately from the first team, alongside defender Axel Disasi, who has not played in the league since January 20, 2025.

Manager Liam Rosenior, who recently took over from Enzo Maresca, is addressing a backlog of issues and has indicated that he plans to engage in discussions with both Sterling and Disasi. “I will have conversations with them. We’re in January, as you know. Raheem has had an outstanding career, and I have immense respect for him. Axel is a player I have admired for a long time. Honestly, I need to speak with them, as well as with the club. I am genuinely focused on working through a list of priorities and will do so in the coming days,” he stated.

Reports suggest that Sterling is garnering interest from Serie A side Napoli, while inquiries about Disasi have come from both Roma and Lyon. However, Chelsea cannot authorize any further overseas loans, as they currently have six players on loan abroad. To facilitate any transfers, they would need to cancel an existing loan.

Chelsea made nine first-team signings during the summer, including Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, and Estevao Willian, with an emphasis on enhancing their attacking options. This influx of new talent has further relegated Sterling in the team hierarchy. When asked about potential new signings in January, Rosenior downplayed the likelihood of additional acquisitions. “The first conversation I had with the club’s hierarchy was about assessing our most important players—those who are currently here. Often, you can find unexpected talent if you give people a chance. I had some excellent surprises in the match against Charlton. Yes, we are in January, and we want the club to succeed in the short term, but often the solutions lie within the existing team, not externally. I will make decisions regarding this later in the week after assessing everyone,” he explained.

Looking ahead, Chelsea has already secured agreements for several new signings for the upcoming season, including striker Emanuel Emegha from Strasbourg, winger Geovany Quenda from Sporting CP, and left-back Denner Evangelista from Corinthians. They have also signed Dastan Satapayev from Kairat in Kazakhstan.

Chelsea is set to face Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday, followed by a Premier League match against Brentford. Currently, the Blues sit eighth in the league table, four points away from the top four.

Rosenior has emphasized that he will be the final decision-maker at Stamford Bridge, stating, “It’s impossible to be in this role without asserting your own authority. People can see through you immediately. I will be the one making decisions at this football club, which is why I was brought in. I understand the discussions in the media. However, it is essential to make your own decisions to be a successful manager. I have experienced support in this kind of setup before, especially at Strasbourg, where we achieved significant success. I intend to apply the same approach here.”