The leverage Raheem Sterling had over Chelsea was laid out in the first line of his controversial public statement that dropped after he was axed from the squad for the first Premier League game.
“Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years,” it stated.
It might well have added ‘and he earns $400,000 a week so guess whose job it is to find a solution?’ because as far as Sterling’s employment in West London was concerned the club had made a rod for its own back.
In the days that followed that decision, it soon became clear that this was a stand-off. Chelsea wanted Sterling out the door and he, understandably given his age, wasn’t prepared to compromise.
As the transfer window clock ticked down it became a game of chicken: who would blink first?
Manager Enzo Maresca emphasized how hardline Chelsea was preparing to be on the situation as time ran out. There would be no rehabilitation, if Sterling stayed it would be to a life in exile, training on his own with no chance of first-team soccer.
"I prefer to be honest with players," the Italian said. "The ones who are not involved are not going to be involved and they won't get any minutes if they stay.
"I don't know what happens when the window closes if they are still here. The ones who will get minutes are the ones I think can help us.
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"Raheem is a fantastic guy who has trained very well. Every manager has a different idea and he is the kind of winger that is not one that I like. History and numbers speak for Raheem. He knows exactly what he needs to do.
"The rest are training apart, they are not going to get minutes. I have been clear and honest with them."
Ex-players were united in their condemnation of Sterling’s statement, both Jamie Redknapp and Jamie Carragher suggesting he should just “play better.”
Other pundits were critical of its cynicism. "Raheem and his team know what they are doing. They are trying to make noise,” said former Manchester City defender Micah Richards
"Putting that statement out before the game is not good enough. That will not help your teammates or your case of getting back in the team.
"The manager has not picked him and he needs to deal with it."
Pat Nevin, who played for Chelsea in the 1980s, pointed out that by publicising the stand-off the England forward had potentially reduced his transfer fee.
"What this situation with Raheem Sterling has done is make him possibly cheaper to buy. He won't be £100m or £50m. He will be a lot less than that as a club can say they are buying 'damaged goods',” the Scotsman suggested.
"Does it mean he will earn less money? Well, the top words of the statement were 'Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football club for the next three years'.
"That is code for 'I am owed that money and I'm not giving it up'. I think this has been clever by the player and his people."
In the end, if it was a ploy it worked Sterling may not have got the permanent transfer he’d sought but the transfer window concluded with the Londoner moving across town to Arsenal where he’ll reportedly remain on the same salary thanks to Chelsea covering more than half of his wages.
Arsenal Take A Risk
Sterling arrives at the Emirates Stadium under circ*mstances that haven’t existed for him since he was a teenager moving from Queen’s Park Rangers to Liverpool.
He is not the first choice nor the marquee player, he is there to bulk up the squad and be an option for Mikel Arteta to select when needed.
That’s not the position any player approaching their thirties wants, especially one who it was claimed had the “Ballon d’Or and Champions League” in his sights when joining Chelsea.
The plus side is that he joins a manager that he knows well from his spell as an assistant under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and who is credited with Sterling’s uplift in form during the Catalan’s second season.
"We built a really strong relationship together at Manchester City,” recalled Arteta ahead of the move.
“He was unbelievable at that time. He is someone I have really strong feelings about."
The challenge for Arsenal is managing a man who reacted badly when dropping down the pecking order at the Manchester City.
Sterling was barely in the door at Stamford Bridge when he revealed he’d been “raging and dumping” at the lack of appreciation for his talents.
"Everyone wants to feel wanted, football is no different," he told Sky Sports.
"When you play your heart out, sacrifice some of your kids' birthdays, and then get treated in a certain way, it's disappointing.
"At the time I was fuming, raging, but it's gone, it's in the past and I can only focus on the present, which is now, here at Chelsea, and the opportunity I've got here to go out and showcase my talents once again."
You would expect that Arsenal hasn’t promised Sterling the world to get him onboard and the Londoner has had to make some compromises in terms of expectations too.
If he hasn’t it will be a disastrous move because one of the massive improvements Arteta has made at the Emirates is clearly out aging players with reputations that didn’t match their abilities from his supporting cast.
Fans in North Londo remember all too well their team buying David Luiz and Willian from Chelsea and swiftly regretting the deals.
If Sterling turns out to be in the same category as those buys he could derail the entire season.
