Vinnie Jones has suggested it might be time for Raheem Sterling to ‘go into something else’ after finding himself exiled from Chelsea‘s first team squad.
Sterling, 29, has enjoyed a hugely decorated career, playing for Liverpool and Manchester City before he moved to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2022.
The forward has also scored 20 times in 82 caps for England, although he hasn’t represented the Three Lions since the 2022 World Cup.
Sterling, who joined Chelsea for £47.5million on reported £325,000-per-week wages two years ago, was expecting to be heavily involved under new Blues boss Enzo Maresca, but he was left out of their matchday squad for the opening game of the season against Man City.
Maresca later claimed this was a ‘technical decision’, but Sterling’s camp released a statement seeking clarity on his future, with the forward subsequently exiled to Chelsea’s so-called ‘bomb squad’ as he races to secure a move away before the transfer window closes on Friday.
Vinnie Jones has suggested it might be time for Raheem Sterling to ‘go into something else’
Sterling has found himself exiled to Chelsea’s so-called ‘bomb squad’ at the start of the season
Jones claimed that he was left surprised at the decision from Chelsea to banish Sterling
Sterling’s predicament is a difficult one for a four-time Premier League winner to find himself in, with Crystal Palace, Juventus and Manchester United among the clubs linked with him, yet it is unclear whether a transfer will be possible.
And former Premier League hardman Jones, who spent a season at Chelsea in 1991-92, admitted his surprise at the choice to banish Sterling, but felt it could prove to be a pivotal moment in his career.
‘Sterling not being in the squad was a little eyebrow raiser,’ Jones exclusively told Mail Sport. ‘Everything comes to an end though and he’s done all right.
‘He scored a few goals, and he might do a job for someone else, but he’s had a fantastic career and if I was him I might think about going into something else.
‘He must be financially set up for life. So, go and enjoy life. He’s given the sport a lot in terms of England fans and at Liverpool and Man City.’
Jones went on to explain that his advice for Sterling was motivated by a desire for players to finish at the top of their game.
‘He’s given a lot of fans a lot of enjoyment over the years and I don’t like seeing top players like him drift down through the leagues.
‘I hope he doesn’t do that. I had a journalist once say that I would end up back at Wealdstone. So I spent my whole career proving him wrong.’
Sterling won four Premier League titles at Man City and Jones said he doesn’t like seeing players drift down the leagues as their careers come to a close (pictured in 2019)
Sterling has won 82 caps for England, but his last appearance came at the 2022 World Cup
Sterling’s saga has meant Chelsea have yet again been the story of the transfer window, but the Blues have also splashed out more than £200m on 10 players this summer.
As a result, Maresca’s squad has enlarged to 43 players, although several have joined Sterling in the ‘bomb squad’.
And Jones claimed that he wasn’t overly surprised by Chelsea’s incessant spending, although he insisted it creates plenty of unknowns.
‘What they’ve got is a massive chequebook, and they’re desperate to get back to the days under Roman Abramovich, aren’t they?,’ he added.
‘I think you’ll see quite a few of them, sort of either left out or moving on in the last week of the transfer window, as that’s a b****y big squad to pay wages to.
‘With 40 odd players, I don’t know how that’s going to pan out.’
Jones was speaking to Mail Sport on behalf of Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) after signing up to the ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign, which urges people to learn lifesaving CPR.
Jones has joined the star-studded ‘Restarting 11’, which includes the likes of Graeme Souness and Tom Lockyer, along with real-life heroes, to promote the cause.
For the 59-year-old, it is a cause closer to his heart than many after his late wife Tanya underwent an emergency heart transplant at the age of 21.
Jones also insisted he didn’t know what to expect from Enzo Maresca’s side this season
Jones spoke to Mail Sport on behalf of Sky Bet and the BHF after joining the ‘Restarting 11’ as part of the ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign, which urges people to learn lifesaving CPR
‘Everybody knows my connection with Tanya and the heart transplant,’ he explained. ‘And they’ve raised £380,000 for the BHF to put defibrillators all over.
‘And now, they’re trying to teach football fans how to cope if someone goes ‘on the deck’ and we’re trying to get over a hurdle of 45 per cent of football fans not being comfortable giving CPR.
‘So if they educate themselves, then hopefully more can be done on the terraces, if somebody, as we say in the commercial, ‘hits the deck’.
‘And they tell me that I’m the summer signing, but I haven’t seen the signing on fee yet!’
Sky Bet and the BHF are calling on 270,000 people to step up and learn lifesaving CPR. Anyone can learn in just 15 minutes. Visit: bhf.org.uk/revivr
