Raheem Sterling Is Priceless to Liverpool, but Not for Other Clubs

Whether with dignity or not, Raheem Sterling had given himself the perfect negotiating platform. After a week of intense speculation concerning his future at Liverpool—in which he’d admitted turning down a new contract worth £100,000 a week—the winger only had one thing left to do: impress against potential suitors Arsenal.

Indeed, the Gunners are among those reported to be interested in taking advantage of any contract dispute between Sterling and Liverpool, with the name of Arsene Wenger’s team dropped in an interview to explain the stand-off by the BBC. The Reds' helplessness was underlined with Brendan Rodgers admitting he “can’t predict” what the player will do next, as reported by ESPN.

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“Flattering,” is how Sterling described Arsenal’s interest—as per Tom Dutton of the London Evening Standard—just days before facing them at the Emirates Stadium. With an impressive display in that match, the 20-year-old could have ramped up speculation linking him with a move to the Gunners, yet it didn’t quite work out that way.

Instead, Sterling flopped, failing to make any real impression as Liverpool slumped to a comprehensive 4-1 defeat—hitting the Reds' chances of finishing in the Champions League places hard. Sterling did nothing to suggest he belongs in a better team.

Of course, it’s important not to underplay the impact Sterling has made over the past two seasons at Liverpool. The winger has become one of European football’s brightest young talents at Anfield, driving the Reds—along with Luis Suarez—to within three points of the Premier League title last season. He deserves to be regarded among the best young players in the game.

However, Sterling’s refusal to sign a new contract with Liverpool—at least for the time being—has prompted a discussion over just how good the 20-year-old truly is. Is the winger really worth more than the £100,000 a week he has already rejected from Liverpool?

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For instance, would Sterling even get in the Arsenal team—or the starting lineup of any other top-four Premier League side, for that matter? Who exactly would the winger replace in Wenger’s team, and why would the Frenchman push his pay structure to the limit to sign a player he already has better than in his squad?

The inconvenient truth for Sterling and his agent Aidy Ward is that at Arsenal, or a team of similar ilk, he wouldn’t be anything more than just a peripheral option, rather than a key figure. If the Gunners’ strongest attacking lineup is considered as Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez (who all cost less than the £50 million mooted for Sterling) supporting Olivier Giroud as the central striker, then there would appear to be no place for Sterling.

Would Arsenal even consider a move for Sterling when they already have Theo Walcott—a player very much in the mould of his Liverpool counterpart? If Wenger is looking for an overpaid, flaky, speed merchant out wide, he already has one.

The same goes for Sterling at Chelsea, Manchester United and even Manchester City, who will embark on something of a renovation job in the transfer market this summer. Manuel Pellegrini plays a system that would suit the Liverpool man, but speaking statistically, Sterling wouldn’t be an upgrade on Jesus Navas—who has chipped in with an impressive eight league assists this season.

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The exuberance of youth means Sterling is still dreadfully inconsistent, as you might expect of a player at this stage of his development. But it’s for this reason that the biggest and best teams might not make a move for the Liverpool winger this summer. He just doesn’t represent a sure enough investment—especially at the price being bandied around.

However, there is a peculiar quirk to the standoff Sterling and Liverpool now find themselves in. The youngster is, in fact, worth more than £100,000 a week to Liverpool but not to a top-four Premier League team. The impact of Sterling’s sale would go beyond any footballing citation, with the loss of the winger to a rival side a potential statement signing. His exit would say a lot about how far adrift of English football’s elite Liverpool remain. 

The winger isn’t just an exceptional young talent, but the embodiment and face of Liverpool’s future under Rodgers. The Reds have become a dynamic and exhilarating side to watch in three seasons under the Northern Irish coach, and Sterling typifies that identity better than anyone else.

But Rodgers has indulged Sterling at Liverpool, playing him in something of a free role across the front line. He has been played on the right, on the left, through the middle and even up front for the Reds this season. He wouldn’t be afforded the same luxury at a top-level team—at Arsenal or elsewhere.

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There are also questions regarding Sterling’s off-the-field application after being pictured inhaling nitrous oxide and with Liverpool team-mate Jordon Ibe smoking a shisha pipe. Between this press controversy and the ongoing contract saga, Sterling has done plenty to destabilise the Anfield club over the past few weeks.

“[Football players] will make mistakes, whether it is those two or other young players,” Rodgers told the BBC's Football Focus in light of Sterling’s off-the-field discrepancies. “In the main footballers are good people, they do a lot of things which go unnoticed. Sometimes they get caught out but that is just youth and learning.”

Sure, Sterling’s extra-curricular conduct hardly taints his top-tier potential—given the number of truly exceptional players who have much darker black marks against their records—but if Arsenal are truly thinking over a move, as has been reported, then such behaviour will do little to ease through a transfer. 

Sterling claims he wants to play for a club that “matches his ambition,” but in truth he might have to settle for a team that matches his ability—something he has at Liverpool, a side just short of the very best.