Soccer Kingdom

Raheem Sterling: Man City get their man but questions remain

noreply@blogger.com (Genti Cabja) — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 02:37:00 -0700

One of the summer's long-running transfer sagas has come to an end with Raheem Sterling joining Manchester City from Liverpool for a deal worth up to £49m.

City have finally got their man, but a number of key questions remain about how the transfer will work for both club and player.

Will fans at the Etihad take to the 20-year-old Londoner after his very public exit strategy?

And how will the most expensive English footballer in history fit into a forward line already boasting Sergio Aguero, Wilfried Bony, Edin Dzeko, Samir Nasri, Jesus Navas and David Silva.

The deal

Manchester City will pay £44m for Sterling and that could rise to £49m based on his success at the club. He has signed a five-year deal and joins the squad on their pre-season tour.

City first bid £25m plus add-ons before upping that to a £35.5m offer which would have risen to £40m.

The Reds were holding out for £50m, but they signed Sterling from QPR as a 15-year-old in February 2010 and will have to pay the Loftus Road club 20% of the fee.

"From Liverpool's point of view it's a great fee and credit to [owners] FSG who have shown great strength in these situations since they came to the club, which sends a message to other clubs and current players," said former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.

"Surely in the future though they will want to halt the exodus of Liverpool's top players moving on."

Where will he play?

English players have not had the most game time at Manchester City - keeper Joe Hart aside - in recent seasons. James Milner, Micah Richards, Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair have all moved on in search of regular first-team football.

On top of that, Sterling will be competing with Nasri, Navas and Silva to play on the wings or just behind one or two strikers.

However, Sterling has age on his side as Spaniards Silva and Navas are both 29, while France international Nasri is 28.

"He'll be excited to show what he can do," ex-Liverpool left-back Stephen Warnock told BBC Radio 5 live. "When he's around the class of Sergio Aguero and people like that then, hopefully, that will bring out the best in him.

"His best time was when he was playing with Luis Suarez. I think it will be a similar thing at Man City."

But former Manchester City captain Rodney Marsh believes it is a "big step up" for Sterling and says manager Manuel Pellegrini will start him on the bench.

"The way City are lining up at the moment, Sergio Aguero is the anchor of the team," said Marsh. "So I can't see Sterling playing in a role that would affect that. With Yaya Toure and David Silva in the supporting positions he is probably going to be a wide player.

"I would not think he would be an automatic starter unless something remarkable happens in pre-season.

"I can't see him breaking straight into the line-up. I would have thought he would start with the reliables, with Sterling and Wilfried Bony on the bench."

Value for money?

England winger Raheem Sterling in action during the 2014 World Cup

The move to Manchester City makes Sterling the most expensive English player ever.

"The price is not something Raheem can control and the debate will rage about whether he's worth it or not but the price is more to do with nationality and potential, what he can become rather than what he is right now," said Carragher.

"But if he can take Man City to more titles and get close to Champions League success they'll deem it worth it."

Sterling was a rare positive for England at a dismal 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

However, he struggled towards the end of last season, scoring just once in his last 15 Liverpool appearances after rejecting a new £100,000-a-week deal and told Reds boss Brendan Rodgers he wanted to leave.

"If Sterling is worth £49m then what does that make Aguero?" said Marsh. "Four times that - a £200m player? I guess he is.

"These days, nothing Manchester City does surprises me any more. City can do what they like. They want to get the best players and Sterling is certainly one of the best young players around."

Is he a troublemaker?

Sterling has scored 23 goals in 129 Liverpool appearances

Liverpool were planning to discuss Sterling's future with him and try to change his mind after he told them he wanted out but the club cancelled a meeting after comments from the player's agent Aidy Ward.

Ward was quoted as saying: "He (Sterling) is definitely not signing. He's not signing for £700,000, £800,000, £900,000 a week. He is not signing."

On his return from pre-season, the player asked to be left out of the club's pre-season tour of the Far East and missed two days of training through illness.

Steven Gerrard: I'm not the new Beckham

noreply@blogger.com (Genti Cabja) — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 09:44:00 -0700

(CNN)He might not have the Becks appeal -- but Steven Gerrard says he's ready to light up Hollywood in his own way.

While David Beckham brought about a revolution within Major League Soccer with his move to Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007, Gerrard is aiming to leave his own mark after announcing himself on the U.S. stage.

Gerrard made his debut in the 2-1 victory over Mexican side Club America on Sunday, playing 45 minutes for his new side.

Steven Gerrard looks back on career at Liverpool 03:54

But if Galaxy fans are expecting Gerrard to be the new Beckham then they're going to be disappointed -- according to the man himself.

"I'm not here to fill David Beckham's shoes -- they're too big for me to fill," Gerrard told CNN's Patrick Snell in Los Angeles.

"He's a worldwide icon -- I'm Steven Gerrard. I offer different things and hopefully I offer the same level of success."

Beckham's arrival in MLS was a seminal moment for the sport in the U.S., his $250 million five-year deal transforming the image of soccer in the country

His departure in 2012, which came after helping Galaxy win the league title, was followed by spells in Europe with AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

Gerrard, who has spent his entire career to date at Liverpool, where he won the European Champions League in 2005, is a vastly different character.

While both are renowned for possessing a magic right-foot, Gerrard does not come with the media circus which Beckham endured during his career.