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The world is not bleak without Raheem Sterling. We are not faced with a grim reality that characters face in popular anime shows such as Berserk or Attack on Titan. Even if we did face such a world devoid of hope, it would be time to channel the spirit of Guts, Mikasa, and Captain Levi. No, Liverpool do not face oblivion without Raheem Sterling, and Jamie Carragher is among those who believes in dawn after dusk with regards to the player who is set to be Manchester City's record signing.
Raheem Sterling is a very good young player but he has not yet hit the heights of an Owen, Rooney, Fowler or Giggs at this stage of his career so there's no doubt 49 million is a great deal for Liverpool. The price is not something Raheem can control & the debate will rage about whether he's worth it or not but the price is more to do with nationality & potential, what he can become rather than what he is right now, but if he can take Man City to more titles & get close to CL success they'll deem it worth it.
It's now time for Raheem to do what he does best play football & show the Premier League the Sterling who was described as "The best young player in Europe" just over a year ago & you couldn't argue that fact at the time. I think he has the potential to be a star & one of the leading lights in the national team for years to come as we saw in the Italy game at the WC in Brazil.
From Liverpool's point of view it's a great fee & credit to FSG who have showed great strength in these situations since they come to the club which sends a message to other clubs & current players. Surely in the future though they will want to halt the exodus of Lfc's top players moving on.
That's quite fair from Carragher. Sterling has many different qualities that should make him a threat in the Premier League and the Champions League. He is still only 20, but the fact that he will become the club's record signing as well as the most expensive English player in history brings a different level of pressure than he faced at Anfield. It will certainly be strange seeing him line up against Liverpool, but there's enough time in the transfer window for Liverpool to make whatever move is necessary to augment the group. Liverpool's coaching team is in place, many signings have been made early, the player the club didn't want to leave has agreed a move elsewhere before mid-July, and a clear message has been sent to unwanted players who have been left out of the club's pre-season tour. Matters are being handled fairly swiftly and effectively.
Do we agree that FSG have shown strength in a sale of a player that the club wanted to keep for less than the reported asking price? Negotiation had to play a part between both Liverpool and Manchester City, of course, and the fee is considerable even if it's £1 million short of that magic number. It would be a shame if Liverpool were to lose another high-profile player next summer, but who else could justifiably seek greener pastures next summer apart from Philippe Coutinho? Daniel Sturridge must prove his durability, Roberto Firmino has just arrived, and the rest are steady sorts or too young. Liverpool should be in a position to build a core for the next two to three years: one that can return to the land of milk and honey with designs on silverware.
Liverpool may not even have to replace Sterling directly with Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana, Lazar Marković, and Jordon Ibe all capable of supporting a striker or two. About that striker...
