Raheem Sterling

[spider-neil]

I agree the club can't possibly have slighted him, and £100k a week is a fantastic offer. However contract problems is a recurring theme. I guess ultimately it all boils down to the fact we're not regularly challenging for honours, that's why we keep losing our best players. It's an unsolvable conundrum - we can't compete with the mega-rich clubs and this **** will just keep happening.

The policy has changed with regards to youth and we are now concentrating on local lads as you would assume they will have more loyalty and reasonable money demands.

*cough* Owen *cough*
*cough* Macca *cough*

They were blue noses so don't count

[Venton]

With regards to regards to Sterling, it isn't about what he is 'now' but what he will be in a couple of years. Right now Sterling is probably in the top 5 under 21 players in world football and he is barely scratching the surface of what he is capable of.

That says, if he doesn't sign in the summer we have to get rid asap because we aren't going to get a big fee next season with 1 and half years left on his contract.

I think Sterling is a good player and I agree we should bin him if we won't sign a new contract in the summer but I don't think he's top 5 u21 world player standard and I don't think we're scratching the surface with him either. He'll improve, but not that much.

[S-RED]

unfortunately, getting billions from TV companies screws up any club when agents talk contracts; 100K is enough & LFC are being more than fair. The problem is the chavs will pay 180K p/w without batting an eyelid & agents know this......... Football is ****ed

[ChrisDR1968]

That Russian gangster has a lot to answer for

[Bender]

'I talk about winning trophies throughout my career. That's all I talk about.
'I don't talk about how many cars I'm going to drive, how many houses I've got. I just purely want to be the best I can be.'

'I just want to focus on football and, when it gets to the end of the season, assess my position as a 20-year-old player playing in the Premier League,' he told BBC Sport.
'I want to win something at the end of the season and the FA Cup's a great chance.
'In my head I've sat down and thought about it. But, at the end of the season, I just want to sit down with the club and my representatives. I will definitely give guarantees when the season has finished.'

link

[McDermotX]

'Just a kid that wants to play football'

hahaha

Wonder what font the agent used ?

[spider-neil]

I'll tell you what really sucks, Raheem has developed into a top player as fast as he has is because of his first team experience and now he is talking about winning stuff.
Well Raheem, you were left in the team (warts and all) despite at one point being just as piss poor as Moses (in the Hull away game) both players could have been benched but Brendan, despite pressure to get into the top 4 kept faith with you. Also Brendan sent you on holiday to prevent you burning out. So despite our pressing need to challenge he had YOUR best interests at heart.

[MrMichael]

n the interview with the BBC, Sterling also said he would have accepted less than £100,000 a week had he been offered a new deal this time last year, when the Reds were chasing the Premier League title.

"If, at that point in time, I was offered a contract, I most definitely would have signed straight away, probably for far less money than being said now," he said. "I just think the timing was a bit off."

Errr, say what? So offering him a new deal half way through last season (just 12 months after his previous deal was signed) would have been fine, but this season "the timing is off". How does that even makes sense?

"I just want to take the time to think about what I've achieved in my career so far, where I need to go and what I need to do to get better as a player."

Yup, he's going. This lad has taken some really bad advice imo.

[Paddy]

Bowing to his (apparently ridiculous) demands will only set a precedent for future young talents. That is not a good place to get to.

[Bender]

Errr, say what? So offering him a new deal half way through last season (just 12 months after his previous deal was signed) would have been fine, but this season "the timing is off". How does that even makes sense?



Yup, he's going. This lad has taken some really bad advice imo.

Not sure he'll get first team football at the other top clubs,but yeah if you really want to stay sign now.

[Norbs]

With regards to regards to Sterling, it isn't about what he is 'now' but what he will be in a couple of years. Right now Sterling is probably in the top 5 under 21 players in world football and he is barely scratching the surface of what he is capable of.

That says, if he doesn't sign in the summer we have to get rid asap because we aren't going to get a big fee next season with 1 and half years left on his contract.

I'm not 100% sure he'll improve to whole another level. He's got bags of pace which doesn't usually last for ever, Robben being a notable exception.

Makes you wonder if the club is bodging these contract talks on purpose to get rid of the highest earners still.

[Norbs]

Bowing to his (apparently ridiculous) demands will only set a precedent for future young talents. That is not a good place to get to.

Indeed

[Rigadon]

He thinks he's bigger than the club - and he is a greedy ****er Hopefully Chelsea, City etc will offer silly money and we sell.

[spider-neil]

People say Raheem will be a bench player. The best players usually play, so if Raheem takes his game to another level he is play most weeks.
He's head been turned. I think it's a shame because with our current crop of kids I think we could go places but if he isn't going to sign then get rid.

[G]

The big difference being that Gerrard had 1 year left in the summer. Sterling had 3.

I know, just relaying what he said. To be fair though, he was clearly becoming a big part of our first team last season, sticking a new one in front of him then wouldn't have been totally ridiculous. He signed his current one as an up and comer, the newer one would be a reflection of how far he'd come in that time and his new status as first choice. Then in a couple more years he'd get top earner status. If we aren't buying top quality but want to produce it instead then there's not much point in that approach if we can't do enough to keep it once we have it. Forever going nowhere.