Vinnie Jones has suggested it may be time for Raheem Sterling to ‘do something else’ after being banned from Chelsea’s first-team squad.
Sterling, 29, has enjoyed a successful career, playing for Liverpool and Manchester City before moving to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2022.
The striker also scored 20 times in 82 international appearances for England, despite not representing the Three Lions since the 2022 World Cup.
Sterling, who joined Chelsea two years ago for £47.5million on a reported £325,000-a-week salary, was expected to play a key role under the Blues’ new manager Enzo Maresca but was left out of the squad for the season-opening game against Man City.
Maresca later claimed it was a ‘technical decision’, but Sterling’s team released a statement demanding clarity over his future. The forward was subsequently relegated to Chelsea’s so-called ‘bomb squad’ as he races to secure a move before the transfer window closes on Friday.
Vinnie Jones has suggested it may be time for Raheem Sterling to ‘do something else’
Sterling was relegated to Chelsea’s so-called ‘bomb squad’ at the start of the season
Jones claimed he was surprised by Chelsea’s decision to suspend Sterling
Sterling’s situation is a difficult one for a four-time Premier League winner, with Crystal Palace, Juventus and Manchester United among the clubs linked with him. However, it is unclear whether a transfer is possible.
And former Premier League player Jones, who spent a season at Chelsea in 1991-92, admitted he was surprised by the decision to ban Sterling but felt it could be a turning point in his career.
‘“Sterling not being in the squad was a bit of a surprise,” Jones exclusively told Mail Sport.But all good things come to an end and he did well.
‘He’s scored a few goals and he might be able to do it for someone else, but he’s had a fantastic career and if I were him I might consider moving somewhere else to play football.
“He’s got to be financially set for life. So go and enjoy life. He’s given a lot to the game in terms of the English fans and at Liverpool and Man City.”
Jones then explained that his advice to Sterling came from the players’ desire to perform at the highest level.
‘He has brought a lot of joy to many fans over the years and I hate to see top players like him drop down the league.
‘I hope he doesn’t. A journalist once said I’d end up back at Wealdstone. So I’ve spent my career proving him wrong.’
Sterling won four Premier League titles at Man City and Jones said he doesn’t like seeing players drop down to a lower league as their careers draw to a close (pictured in 2019)
Sterling has made 82 appearances for England, but his last appearance was at the 2022 World Cup
Sterling’s saga has made Chelsea the showpiece of the transfer window once again, but the Blues have also spent more than £200m on 10 players this summer.
This has expanded Maresca’s squad to 43 players, although Sterling has also had a number of players join the ‘bomber squad’.
Jones claimed he was not overly surprised by Chelsea’s continued spending, although he insisted it creates a lot of confusion.
“What they have is a huge chequebook and they want to go back to the time of Roman Abramovich at all costs, right?” he added.
‘I think you’ll see quite a few of them being left out or leaving in the last week of the transfer window because it’s too big a squad to pay wages to.
‘With about 40 players I don’t know how that will turn out.’
Jones spoke to Mail Sport on behalf of Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) after signing up to the ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign, which encourages people to learn life-saving CPR.
Jones has joined the all-star band ‘Restarting 11’, which includes Graeme Souness and Tom Lockyer, alongside real-life heroes, to promote the cause.
For the 59-year-old, it is a cause close to his heart, 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 team this season
Jones spoke to Mail Sport on behalf of Sky Bet and the BHF after joining ‘Restarting 11’ as part of the ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign, which encourages people to learn life-saving CPR
‘Everyone knows I have a connection with Tanya and the heart transplant,’ he explained. ‘And they raised £380,000 for the BHF to put defibrillators everywhere.’
“And now they are trying to teach football fans how to deal with a situation where someone is ‘on the ground’. We are trying to cross the line of 45 percent of football fans who are not comfortable performing CPR.
‘So if they educate themselves, then hopefully more can be done on the terraces, if someone, as we say in the commercial, ‘goes out onto the terrace’.
‘And then they say I’m the summer signing, but I haven’t seen the registration fee yet!’
Sky Bet and the BHF are appealing for 270,000 people to learn life-saving CPR. Anyone can learn it in just 15 minutes. Visit: bhf.org.uk/revivr