Raheem Sterling

[BobTheCharmer]

Jesus ****ing Christ. Can't believe how many posts on this since last night. You lot can't half throw a mardy pity party.

Is it based on fact yet or still just speculation?

Errrr you seen the interview that come out today?

[EwarWoo]

Basic gist of it being it's not about the money he just wants to focus on the football for now and sort it in the summer? Is that the basic gist?

[Venton]

That's the spirit!

[Fivex]

Raheem Sterling

I can see it now. The club will sell Sterling in the summer and be right on the phone to Southampton and West Brom.

It's going to be a carbon copy of last summer. Aiming to win the best of the rest competition. *getting top 4*. Is unfortunately the acceptable aim of this football club nowadays and for the people who run it.
And once we get in the competition we cant wait to get out of it.

Bit melodramatic?

Especially the last bit - it's work in progress with us, like it or not we will accept ridiculous offers for our best players cos it speeds up The Big Plan each time we do it.

Wouldn't surprise me if we're thinking about the tribunal route if it exists. A few scenarios:

- He signs a contract at £180k and gets sold in 2 years. He might go for £50m. We'd be spending maybe £20m in wages/signing-on fee, we get one of the league's best attackers for 2 seasons and a net profit of £30m at the end to reinvest. Sets a huge precedent and messes up the wage structure.

- Sell now, get £50m and reinvest in 2 players (average £20m each & £5m wages) - law of averages says one succeeds and one doesn't, so team-wise we should be about where we are now, might improve but the risk is we go backward.

- Run his contract down, we get to keep one of the league's best attackers and after 2 years we've spent £3m on wages. Tribunal sets fee (?) and we're in profit (min £40m?). Sterling plays amazingly for us in this period because he won't get his move otherwise. We reinvest the tribunal money with our wage structure and pride intact.

The more I think about it, and knowing what we do about FSG - ruthless lateral thinkers who can keep a poker face - the more I believe the last option could be the best for LFC. The pros outweigh the cons as far as I can tell. I think the problem with Sterling is he'll be England's best player soon and you pay a premium for signing that no matter how good he is now.

Personally I reckon we should stick a £100m release clause in front of him with £150k a week and tell him to earn his move as fast as he wants it.

[Venton]

And you can do a compare and analysis of our two avatars to highlight the incongruity between your view of footballers' motivations and mine.

[baitman]

i wonder if sterling and his agent are being coached through this process of separating himself from Liverpool, seeming to go out on a limb with the interview, might be being engineered by maureen. smells like his work.

tell them you want to win things, lets see where we are at the end of the season, yada...
the cheaper he can get sterling for then the more they will offer him per week.

[Nicey]

I think by giving an unauthorised interview he’s stepped over a line. What I took from that interview is two clear messages, don’t play me at RB and Sign some players, then I might sign. This was always going to happen with Raheem. Its not so long ago he was testing boundaries and Bdog gave him quite the dressing down in that Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Anfield Edition show, sponsored by Harley Davidson and Miracle Grow for Men.

The timing of all this is designed to exert maximum pressure, Jordan Ibe injured, Sturridge injured, Gerrard banned, Sterling is definitely at this moment in time perceived as the most dangerous player on the pitch with the exception of perhaps Coutinho. As far as I can see the club has only one option, hardball.
Offer him a contract, which is fair, put a large, realise clause in it and try to push the club on. If he does not sign, keep him at the club for another year, play Jordan Ibe increasingly more and watch his stock plummet. What ever happens we, as a club need to be both leading and also send a message to agents. I would not do business with his agent again, if at all possible.

If we had options I would also be tempted to bench him or drop him from the team altogether. But alas I think we are too thin with injuries and bans to even consider it. It’s all so bloody predictable and disappointing. If he does play at the weekend, if he knows what’s good for him he better play an absolute blinder or he’s going to get both barrels all week. Oh and yeah YNWA except if you drag you heels publically on contract negotiations then you talk a long walk off a short bridge

[The Birdman]

That interview is the very definition of being badly advised.

Basically Sterling has just turned all the grief away from the club and onto himself, confirmed we'd offered to treble his wages to 100k a week, confirmed he turned it down and also said it's not about money.
Well unless he signs in the summer for less that statement will always be used against him

Not sure what more lfc could have done?
We were never going to renegotiate last year, 1 year after his last contract so all that is bollocks.

[EwarWoo]

An unauthorized interview? Since when do players need authorization to give interviews?

[Bender]

Good Morning Idiot i mean Raheem....see what kind of **** storm you have created in the media this Morning,your 20 years old you should be focusing on nothing but the development of your career and how Brendan Rodgers and LFC have been good for you.

[Bender]

An unauthorized interview? Since when do players need authorization to give interviews?

ok so he says he wants to get his head down and just concentrate on football and not discuss anything till the summer,then why open your potty mouth and give an interview.

[captainfog]

ok so he says he wants to get his head down and just concentrate on football and not discuss anything till the summer,then why open your potty mouth and give an interview.

... about considering what's best for his future because all he wants to do is win trophies.

[Pablo]

Storm in a teacup really.

I hate this side of modern day football though. Players salaries and social lives are discussed infinitely more than their performances on the pitch. It's all such bollocks

[Nicey]

An unauthorized interview? Since when do players need authorization to give interviews?

I am pretty sure the Club has media policy for its players, they cannot just give interviews when and with who they like, it would be bloody chaos if they did

[EwarWoo]

I am pretty sure the Club has media policy

So basically you're guessing?

I know, media policy, we'll get him on that!