Raheem Sterling to Manchester City: Latest Transfer Details, Reaction and More
Raheem Sterling has broken the hearts of Liverpool fans and signed for Manchester City.
The Sky Blues announced the deal on Tuesday, and Squawka noted the reported £49 million fee was the largest ever for an English player and for a player under 21.
Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo reported Sterling's salary is believed to be in the range of £200,000 per week at the Etihad.
"Raheem Sterling is one of the best attacking players in world football, and I am very much looking forward to him joining our squad out in Australia later this week," City manager Manuel Pellegrini said, per City's announcement. "He is a young player with outstanding ability, and I am sure the Manchester City fans will be very excited about seeing him in action for the team."
The team also provided Sterling's thoughts following the move:
"It’s a good feeling and this is really happy time for me and my family. I’m just glad it’s all over and done with and I can’t wait to get on the training field.
The thing that excites me the most is the world class squad we have and knowing we have a team that is capable of winning things year in, year out. The more quality players that are around you, the more quality it brings out in you so I can’t wait to get started and play alongside them.
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It has been a long journey from QPR and I’d like to thank a few people who have helped me along the way.
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Sterling started the 2014-15 campaign in good form, with the weight of responsibility on his young shoulders after the sale of Luis Suarez and with Daniel Sturridge continually absent due to injury.
However, his performance value fell away at the end of the season, and Liverpool began to struggle to stay in touch with the Champions League positions, with the player recording seven goals and seven assists for the entire campaign, per WhoScored.com.
Sterling has been the subject of considerable rumours and speculation in recent months, and his exit was virtually sealed when his agent, Aidy Ward, laid into Liverpool in late May, according to Benedict Moore-Bridger of the London Evening Standard.
"I don't care about the PR of the club and the club situation. I don't care. He is definitely not signing [a new Liverpool contract]. He's not signing for £700, £800, £900 thousand a week. He is not signing," Ward said. While he later denied the comments, the damage had been done.
Despite the controversy of the past few months, Sterling's exit leaves Liverpool considerably weaker.
His pace was a feature of the Reds when at their attacking best, and they will have to reinvest his transfer fee wisely. While it represents a significant financial windfall for the club, Squawka noted £9.8 million will head to Queens Park Rangers, who owned a 20 percent stake in the young player from his 2010 move to Anfield.
It is easy for pundits and fans to criticise Sterling at this junction, but the player clearly did not believe in the current project at Liverpool, and the team's final Premier League position reflects that.
Sterling will thrive in the right environment, but he has much to prove at Manchester City and must now show he is worth such a large fee.
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