Former Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling has joined Dutch club Feyenoord on a deal until the end of the season.
The ex-England international did not play for the Blues after May 2024, despite being on a five-year deal worth £325,000-a-week, and had his contract torn up at the end of January.
Now, his move to the Netherlands has been confirmed, where he will work under Premier League legend Robin van Persie, who is manager of the club having played for both Arsenal and Manchester United.
Feyenoord confirmed the news in a statement, headlined ‘Feyenoord sign 4-time Premier League winner Raheem Sterling MBE,’ on Thursday afternoon.
The forward, 31, said: ‘As a free agent, I’ve had, for the first time in a long time, the opportunity to control the next step in my career. I wanted to take my time to speak with clubs and their head coaches to better understand the role they envisioned for me and ensure that I can add real value in this next chapter.
‘Having spoken in great detail with CEO Dennis te Kloese and Robin, I’m confident that Feyenoord is a place I can be happy and establish myself as a valued member of the team. Playing abroad is a whole new challenge for me – and one I’m ready to embrace.
‘Honestly, I’m just excited to get started. To Feyenoord and particularly Robin and Dennis, thank you for your patience and professionalism as I navigated this process.’
Van Persie, who won the Premier League at United in 2012, added: ‘Naturally it’s a fantastic feat that we’ve managed to convince a player of Raheem’s calibre to sign with us.
‘His football resume speaks for itself: he’s a player whose qualities can change the outcome of a game without a doubt, and I am convinced he will turn out to be a valuable addition to the team as we work towards achieving our goals in the second half of this season.’
Daily Mail Sport was told in January that Sterling was open to considering a move abroad, with the attacker previously keen to stay in London.
The terms of the settlement to end his stay at Stamford Bridge have not being revealed by either side, but we are told it achieves a meaningful saving to Chelsea while also allowing Sterling to reignite his career.
A club statement confirmed: ‘Raheem Sterling has today departed Chelsea Football Club by mutual agreement, bringing to an end three-and-a-half seasons as our player, having signed in the summer of 2022 when he was transferred from Manchester City.
‘We thank Raheem for the contribution he made while a Chelsea player and wish him well for the next stage in his career.’
Sterling took to Instagram to share a brief message, saying: ‘All eyes on the future. God is great.’
Napoli, managed by Antonio Conte, were thought to be in the mix to sign Sterling, although the club played that down on towards the end of the transfer window.
Chelsea signed Sterling on a five-year contract in 2022 from Manchester City for a fee worth £47.5million. He was the first signing made by Chelsea’s Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership in what was considered an early statement of intent by the hierarchy.
He made 81 appearances for Chelsea – one less than the 82 he has for England – before being frozen out under Enzo Maresca as part of the Blues’ bomb squad.
The winger didn’t feature under Liam Rosenior either, with the new Chelsea manager telling Daily Mail Sport last week: ‘I’ve said what I’ve had to say on Raheem. He’s a player I have massive respect for. Huge respect for as a person and what he’s achieved in the game. Now is not the right time to speak about his situation.’
