Twitter Reacts to the Latest Twist in Raheem Sterling's Liverpool Contract Saga

At a time when Steven Gerrard is preparing to leave Liverpool with the good graces of the Kop faithful on his side, Raheem Sterling's departure from Merseyside is not attracting quite so much reverence.

A few weeks after an ill-fated interview in which he inferred his financial motivations to further his career, the BBC are among those reporting the Reds winger's desire to move on from the club:

The latest developments in Sterling's contract saga have not been received well, particularly by a slew of disgruntled club legends:

"

Carragher would two foot Sterling if he could right now

— Ricardo (@_rxco10) May 18, 2015"

"

Phil Thompson - sterling can't even kick with his left foot never mind score with it he has a lot to learn 

— The LFC Grumpy Frog (@Longblonde88) May 19, 2015"

Suffice to say, Sterling's actions have also put the noses of many fans out of joint. The majority of opinions expressed on Twitter featured language that cannot be reproduced here, but here are some of the more sanitised viewpoints:  

"

Raheem Sterling is an absolute disgrace to football

— Jack (@jackgeedz) May 18, 2015"

The Daily Mail also added statistical fuel to the fire by highlighting Sterling's less-than-meteoric Opta numbers:

"

Liverpool have won 100% of their games WITHOUT Raheem Sterling (and just 40.4% with)... here, Sportsmail look ... http://t.co/NoP0u3Iwkt

— SPORTS NEWS (@NewsalekosNews) May 19, 2015"

One Reds fan on Twitter decided to make a stand against his former hero, and his efforts went viral: 

"

Well, that was easier than I expected pic.twitter.com/B5QB5SygyM

— Phil (@pkirchb) May 18, 2015"

Another fan, meanwhile, actually delayed attending the birth of his child to give his opinion to talkSPORT. Incredibly, he wasn't even a Liverpool supporter:  

As expected, the latest twist in the Sterling contract saga has provided a healthy flow of TwitterBantz™, and a stark reminder of the disagreement the player and manager Brendan Rodgers had in front of the Being: Liverpool documentary cameras: 

"

Safe to say that Raheem Sterling holds grudges... https://t.co/0bkLFITVV2

— Football Funnys (@FootballFunnys) May 19, 2015"

"

Liverpool fans on twitter on hearing Sterling is leaving pic.twitter.com/XSuqxUqlBv

— Joshua Emmanuel (@big_man_joshy) May 18, 2015"

"

Liverpool fans when they hear Sterling felt 'bullied' into signing a £100K a week contract at LFC... pic.twitter.com/AmruvNCyQj

— Footy Memes (@FootyMemes) May 19, 2015"

In the choppy sea of Sterling vitriol, there were also a few pro-Sterling lifeboats floating around, moving the blame to Liverpool's management and making the reasonable assertion that the player is ambitious, rather than greedy:

"

Liverpool have one of the most promising young players in the world and fans have demonised him because he wants a pay rise.

— PhantomGoal (@PhantomGoal) May 18, 2015"

"

#LFC If I were #Sterling I will do the same. Current owner and manager plus mediocre signings points to no success. #BrendanOut

— JOSEF_Liverpool FC (@josefodili) May 19, 2015"

Sterling's future is decidedly unclear, but his reputation for chasing a bigger pay day—whether warranted or not—looks like it is here to stay:

"

If James Milner can demand £150,000 a week I can at least go for £300,000 right?!

— Greedy Sterling (@greedysterling) May 19, 2015"