STERLING STAYS
Resolute Rodgers is determined to keep unsettled star at club
LIVERPOOL will take a stand against Raheem Sterling this summer and won’t sell him even if he does not sign a new contract.
Sterling and his advisor, Aidy Ward, told Liverpool last month they wanted to stop talks over a new deal until the campaign was over. The England international was offered new terms, worth about £ 100,000 a week, last October and by leaving the contract unsigned, he has lost out on more than £1.5million in salary.
When Sterling (below) gave an interview to the BBC last month, he said he would assess his situation at the end of the season. But Liverpool have since tumbled out of top-four contention and lost in the FA Cup semi-final.
There will be renewed speculation and agitation about Sterling’s future, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal monitoring his position, but manager Brendan Rodgers has made it clear that Liverpool have no intention of selling the 20-year-old.
To head off the threat of a transfer request being handed in, Rodgers revealed that he invited Sterling around to his house for talks, following a difficult personal period in which the player was pictured inhaling nitrous oxide and using a shisha pipe.
‘ Raheem won’t be going anywhere this summer, even if there’s not a deal agreed. We’ve made that clear from the beginning,’ said Rodgers, who will recall Steven Gerrard for today’s game against QPR. ‘ I think Raheem looks a lot more relaxed now than he has done for a while. We had a couple of good meetings. He came to the house and had a good chat on a personal level as well. It’s not just about the football side, it’s also about his welfare because he’s still young and he’s been through a lot in the last couple of years. So I talked to him generally and I think he’s in a good place at the moment.’
Liverpool did something similar when Luis Suarez first agitated to leave in the summer of 2013 but Rodgers is relaxed about how the situation will unfold . He added: ‘ The club will meet up again with Raheem’s representatives and we’ll reinforce it (the message). Look, everyone wants to win trophies, everyone wants to play in the big competitions. But it’s also important that you have the opportunity to do that. So we’ll just be reinforcing our stance — that this is the best club for him at this moment.’ Rodgers, meanwhile, is unclear whether Daniel Sturridge will need surgery to solve the hip problem that is likely to end his campaign. The England forward is in Boston seeing specialists attached to the Red Sox baseball team to determine the extent of the damage.
Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owners, made a big commitment to Sturridge last October when they handed him a new deal worth up to £150,000 a week. Rodgers admitted they are as anxious as he is to see the 25-year-old fit again.
‘ They are showing their support, which we want to give all of our players by making sure they get the best possible treatment,’ said Rodgers.
‘If there are specialists in other fields in different countries then we’ll do everything we can to get players fit. The importance he has for us is pretty clear when he’s fully fit.’