‘Crazy’ Sterling not getting right advice

Raheem Sterling

What you need to know:

GREED OR ARROGANCE? The 20-year-old forward told Kop that he wants to leave. Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Man United are reportedly wooing him.

I have come to accept the lunacy of footballers supposed ungratefulness to the clubs that identify them and give them a chance to shine and the case of Raheem Sterling of Liverpool should not be any different.
It is almost a given these days that players and their representatives, especially those with an inflated sense of their overall worth will seek a piece of the pie that is broadcasting rights, endorsements, and club merchandising that have turned clubs like Liverpool into multi-million dollar enterprises.

But the way I see it, the only way Liverpool should be paying Sterling more than the $100,000 he has reportedly turned down, is not because they can afford it, but because he is of economic value.
Of course the matter of economic value can be as subjective as it is contentious. In any case the primary means through which the value of a footballer should be established is through his football ability. And truth be told, even if Sterling may easily be the most interesting player in a team that appears to have gone flat since it flirted with the championship 12 months ago, he is only really a 20-year-old with just a couple of good seasons and no meaningful track record
In other words Sterling is just a prospect whose ability by the way may not be in short supply for the few clubs who can meet his demands.

All the clubs that have been linked with him like both Manchester teams, Arsenal, Bayern and even Real Madrid already have speedy wingers.
And this is where his refusal to sign an extension with a club that took a chance on him at the age of 14 and turned him into the interesting prospect that he is today stops making sense to me.
I am therefore inclined to believe that Sterling or his agent for that matter have just taken greed and dressed it up as Liverpool’s lack of ambition.
Fair enough, but perhaps they ought to look at men like Scot Sinclair and realise that ready-made glory isn’t always a good substitute for career progression and money can be such a poor motivator.
The life span of a professional football career may be short and one ought to grab every opportunity as they come.

But sometimes opportunity maybe at your current club, where your quality is known and you are guaranteed a starting place and your value doesn’t have to be pegged to how many shirts you sell.
So If I were him I would sign a contract extension to stay for another three years. Liverpool may not be champions by then, but at 25 you still have enough time left to move in search for glory.
But the key thing is, at current progression that would also be enough time to see him develop into a world class act, something he isn’t right now regardless of what the English press or his agent would have us believe.