Finding the best landing spot for Liverpool's Raheem Sterling
With Liverpool cancelling a meeting with Raheem Sterling in the wake of comments from the player’s agent, who said even "£900,000 a week" would not even be good enough to keep the player at Anfield, Sterling’s time at Liverpool appears to be nearing its end.
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“He is definitely not signing,” Aidy Ward, who is Sterling’s agent, reportedly told the Evening Standard.
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With reports that even rivals Manchester United had made an inquiry into the disgruntled 20-year-old starlet, now would be the time to look at the best landing spots for Liverpool’s Young Player of the Year.
Manchester United
Sterling would obviously be an asset to the Red Devils, who have been unable to consistently get the most out of winger Angel Di Maria. However, Liverpool would likely be reluctant to sell to Manchester United for two reasons. First, Liverpool and Manchester United do not exactly get along. Second, United is a direct rival in the race for top four, and selling Sterling to United would be the equivalent of handing a loaded gun to the enemy.
Sterling would help United’s depth in the wide areas, but the Red Devils need to focus on top strikers this summer instead of paying a ridiculous fee on a winger for the second successive summer.
Chelsea
Whenever provided the opportunity to create a bit of havoc in the politics of top clubs, Jose Mourinho and Chelsea seem happy to help create a crisis (see Wayne Rooney). With Juan Cuadrado already in place to play the role Sterling would theoretically assume, Chelsea does not necessarily need the Liverpool star. Also, Chelsea has been linked with Atletico Madrid’s Koke, though that move may not materialize due to the player’s recent comments.
It's worth pointing out that the last time Chelsea paid an exorbitant sum of money to Liverpool, Fernando Torres came to Stamford Bridge. Sterling is not nearly as big of a gamble as Torres, but he is simply surplus to needs the champions should focus on over the summer.
Eden Hazard partnering with Sterling does sound like a deadly combination on the wings, but the Blues would be better served finding a reliable striker with fewer years than Didier Drogba and better fitness than Diego Costa. Of course, this is Chelsea, and they can afford buying a top striker and also luring Sterling to Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal
More than Manchester United and Chelsea, Arsenal does not need Sterling. Arsene Wenger dubiously chose not to answer and said he did not want to lie when asked about his interest in Sterling. Sterling aside, Arsenal’s midfield is too deep as it is.
Theo Walcott is likely on his way out because he will struggle to get with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey and Danny Welbeck crowding the attacking positions. In truth, Arsenal creates enough chances as presently constructed, and a top-rated striker who can finish those chances should be first on the Gunners’ shopping list.
As is the case with Chelsea and United, Arsenal would be wise to avoid paying a high fee for Sterling. Of the three Premier League giants, Arsenal is also the most frugal, especially when it comes to a need that appears to be filled. Similar to United, Liverpool sending Sterling to Arsenal would be suicide for a team hoping for a top-four finish and a return to the Champions League.
Manchester City
If Sterling is sold to any club in the Premier League, Manchester City would be the ideal landing spot. The Citizens have a habit of paying high transfer fees, and City is in need of a massive restructuring in the squad. A 20-year-old, Premier League-proven, homegrown winger would slot in perfectly into City’s plans to get younger while still challenging for trophies. Sterling is a better option than Jesus Navas, and the player’s hunger for trophies should be quenched with a big money move to the Etihad.
With James Milner also rumored to be on the move, Sterling would provide immediate relief on the wing, where Milner often featured for Manuel Pellegrini. Milner would also be another homegrown player gone for a club that is desperate for homegrown talent. Interjecting blinding pace to balance the silky skills of players like Samir Nasri and David Silva should work seamlessly.
With Manchester City not a traditional rival of the Merseyside club, politics would not play a significant role in the decision. City spending big money for highly rated players already established at a big club is business as usual at this stage (see Arsenal).
Bayern Munich
For Liverpool, the advantages of selling Sterling out of the Premier League are obvious. For the player, he would immediately have the opportunity to start counting trophies in a domestic league that is dominated by the Bavarians. Bayern Munich may not be the obvious choice, but it is a good fit for the club and the player.
Bayern Munich largely blamed the semifinal exit in the Champions League on injuries to Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, as the Germans struggled to find healthy wing players in their time of need. Ribery is getting a bit long in the tooth at 32 years of age, and oft-injured Robben is close behind at 31. While Bayern is not known to pay astronomical transfer fees, the Germans do open up the wallets when they identify young players that fill needs (see Thiago, Mario Goetze and Javi Martinez).
Likely, Liverpool will get a better offer from elsewhere. But Bayern offers a better destination to send Sterling than the Premier League clubs.
Real Madrid
For Liverpool, sending Sterling to Spain would be the best-case scenario. The young winger would not be a direct threat of helping rivals in the Premier League, and Madrid also has a habit of spending bags of money for Premier League talent (see Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, etc.).
If the rumors are true, former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is on his way to the Santiago Bernabeu to take over Real Madrid at the conclusion of the Spanish season. With Benitez at the helm, the communication lines to Madrid should be clearer and the chances of completing a deal would improve significantly. One could see Manchester City making a bid to get the isolated figure of Gareth Bale out of Madrid, and Sterling slotting into the Welshman’s role on the opposite wing as Cristiano Ronaldo.
Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. He has previously written about the 2014 World Cup and 2013 Confederations Cup and regularly provides opinions on the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA and @perfectpass
