The Raheem Sterling Contract Saga

Raheem Sterling is a star in the making. Ever since breaking out as a young teenager and scoring 5 goals in an FA Youth Cup game against Southend United, Sterling’s talent was palpable to everybody. He became the talk among every Liverpool fan and this resulted in him making his debut at the tender age of 17. He even became Liverpool’s youngest ever goal scorer after scoring in a league game against Reading. He was the shining light in a poor first year for Brendan Rodgers.

Sterling became the youngest ever scorer
Source - kopleft.com

However, Sterling’s promising start went downhill after sometime. He found it tough to deal with the growing pressure put on him and had numerous off the pitch problems. At one point, he was almost farmed out on loan to bring in Mohammad Salah. However, fate intervened and the Salah deal imploded and Sterling transformed into an integral part of a team that almost challenged for the elusive title. He reveled in playing at the tip of the diamond formation that Brendan Rodgers had devised for the Reds. This season, he has grown into a regular starter and was even regarded as the main man in a team short of stars.

Sterling came to his own last season
Source - Guardian 

Recently, Sterling has made the news, but for the wrong reasons, with an issue surrounding his contract. If the media is to be believed, Sterling is reluctant to sign a new contract because of wage issues. Various media outlets have covered the story and some sources have even claimed that Sterling wants 150,000 pounds per week. There has also been a recent interview with the BBC surrounding this situation. While it might be debatable whether Sterling deserves those wages or not, what is for sure is that the figures he is asking for are astronomical. Is he really good enough to earn those wages?

The first point to be considered is that wages as high as 150 thousand are reserved for the very best players that make the most desirable impact on a team. Is Raheem Sterling the best player on the Liverpool team? Can he be depended to bail the team out when they are in trouble? It doesn’t seem so. For starters, Sterling tends to fade way in big games. For example, in the Champions League game against Basel, Liverpool needed someone to bail them out and Sterling hid behind Steven Gerrard’s shadow. Another example of this is the Europa League game against Besiktas where Sterling was completely anonymous. If he wants to earn the bug bucks, Sterling has to provide.

Sterling has blown hot and cold
Source - Express 

The next area into consideration is his goal scoring and genuine impact on the team. While plain goals and assists may not paint the whole picture, it is an undeniable fact that Sterling does not score as much as he should and his chance conversion is not the best. Sterling has played close to every game this season and has only 10 goals in all competitions with many of them in an attacking position. An old and declining Steven Gerrard has the same number of goals as him. In fact, there was a long period in October-November, where Sterling did not even register a single goal. He is definitely a player that blows hot and cold. Can Liverpool really afford that?

Thirdly, there are age and off the pitch factors that have to be taken into consideration. While it has become a common adage to say, “If you are good enough, you are old enough”, the fact of the matter is that it can have a harmful effect on the dressing room if a player of Sterling’s age is given such high wages. Issues like seniority and hierarchy should not exist but do in the dressing room and if Sterling is rewarded with a new contract, others might either feel jealous or treat Sterling with derision. It could lead to turmoil in the back. Politics is defined as “activities aimed at improving someone's status or increasing power within an organization”. With backstage politics in Liverpool, Sterling might have trouble dealing with the status quo at Liverpool.

Additionally, very few players around the world, regardless of club, are paid that much money, especially at Sterling’s age. Players like Julian Draxler and Hakan Calhanoglu are definitely talented but earn nowhere near the amount of money Sterling wants. Calhanoglu, for example, only earns 60,000 euros but that does not make him any less talented. There is also the fact to consider that Sterling has achieved next to nothing in the game, yet. He has little European and international experience and this is his first full season in the Premier League. He is nowhere close to being a world-class player, no matter how much fans want to deny it. Lastly, if Sterling is to be paid that much, he instantly becomes an ambassador for the club and will he be prepared to handle the responsibility that comes with it. These are all issues that have to be considered.

Hakan Calhanoglu has the talent but not the astronomical wages
Source - WhoScored.com 

 Sterling’s worth aside, the bigger issue here is how does this saga reflect on Liverpool as a club. In the past few years since FSG have taken over, changes have been made. However, one thing that cannot be argued is that the club has fallen short in terms of transfer dealings. In Brendan Rodgers’ tenure, only Mamadou Sakho is a big name that has come into the club. Normally, other clubs are very quick and effective in transfer and contract dealings. Recently, Real Madrid signed Danilo with no media fanfare and no hiccups. Chelsea have been very efficient with their dealings. They have either paid the money for players they want or sold players who they want to move on.

Liverpool is a club trying to get back on its feet and these kinds of issues are things that the Reds have to deal with to be taken seriously. If they think that Sterling is part of their future, they should pay the money but if they do not, they should let him go. Chelsea did that with Andre Schurrle, Kevin De Bruyne and many others and Liverpool should do the same. There should be no if’s, but’s or maybes. These debacles should not occur in the future as it makes the club looks like amateurs. The Raheem Sterling contract issue has gotten out of hand and it is the club that should make a unanimous decision on what to do. A club of Liverpool’s stature should not be forced to lie down and be played around by agents.

The Curious Case of Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson has been in high demand throughout his career. From being the first big money Roman Abramovich signing to playing a major part for a strong Harry Redknapp Portsmouth side, managers and boards have never been afraid to splash the cash on the England international. Johnson has cost more than 30 million pounds in transfer fees and has played for some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League. So, when Rafa Benitez splurged close to 20 million on the right back, the decision was received well as the Reds were getting a proven Premier League player with pedigree at the highest level.

 

Johnson playing for Chelsea
Source - Getty Images 

Johnson started out really well making a great impact in his first few seasons. He was a mainstay in a team which endured a lot of struggles and slumped to mid table mediocrity. While players were going in an out of the team, Johnson was an ever present either at right back or left back. There were a lot of different managers at the Anfield helm during this time and all rated Johnson from Roy Hodgson to Brendan Rodgers.

 Johnson has made 192 appearances in total for Liverpool. There have been memorable moments for sure during Johnson’s Liverpool career such as goals against Chelsea and West Ham and a brilliant defensive performance against an inform Gareth Bale. However, it has been palpable for some time that Johnson’s form has regressed. He has been a shadow of his former self and there has been a considerable drop in his energy levels.

Johnson did have memorable moments
Source - Liverpoolfc.com

Unlike a fine cheese, Johnson’s condition has deteriorated with age. For someone allegedly on 120 pounds a week, that is not good enough. Johnson cuts a disinterested figure on the pitch and always looks to blame others when something bad happens. Johnson must only look at Steven Gerrard to see that despite Gerrard’s condition declining, he still gives 100% in what he does. Johnson on the other hand just looks disinterested. In the past two seasons, Johnson has only won a measly 57% of his duels and only has a Squawka performance rating of 133 this season which is worse than any of Liverpool’s other starting defenders.

Despite these poor showings, Johnson is still consistently picked by Brendan Rodgers when fit. Rodgers has shown himself to be trigger-happy many times this season but when it comes to Glen Johnson, Rodgers is firm and resolute. Why is it that a player that is underperforming so much is given so much playing time when players like Javier Manquillo are not even getting a sniff? Manquillo has more defensive actions in fewer games and yet is time and time again left out in place of Glen Johnson. When Johnson was injured, players like Lazar Markovic played in the right back position despite Manquillo being on the bench but the moment Johnson came back, he was put straight into the team.

Always regarded as a player who is great at attacking but a bit suspect in defence, Johnson has lost the attacking element of his repertoire. He is very slow in his passing and seems lost with the ball. The little bit of mobility that he had was lost and this resulted in him playing the game at walking pace which is bad for the team considering the express nature of the Premier League. Rarely do we see him make those marauding runs that made him desired in the first place. In fact, it could be argued that he was the worst player in a season where everyone was being praised to superlative levels. When better players come along, Johnson is just played in a different position. He has played everywhere across the back line without any change in his performances.

For a player who is known for his attacking impetus, Johnson has been shockingly poor in that department. In the past two seasons, Johnson has only scored 1 solitary goal and has a shooting accuracy of only 20%. This season, he has only created 3 chances in 13 games. In contrast, Lazar Markovic, a player who has seemingly struggled according to the media has created 17 chances and Jordon Ibe, a player who was not even considered at the beginning of the season has a higher duel win rate and shooting accuracy and has a higher chance per game ratio. Their Squawka indexes are also very close to that of Johnson’s despite not playing as many games as the Englishman.

But, the fact is that most pundits, media and even some fans are oblivious to this. While many heavily criticize Mario Balotelli for “not showing enough effort” even when playing well, Glen Johnson gets a free ride no matter how bad he plays. The hard fact is that Liverpool has a much better record this season when Johnson is not part of the team. While stats might be a bit inconclusive, the Reds have also scored more and conceded less without Johnson in the backline. In fact, it was after Johnson got injured that that the Reds went on their best defensive run in close to 30 years. The facts are not pointing in Johnson’s favour but yet Rodgers consistently picks him.

Johnson has lost his verve
Source - Goal.com

In addition, Johnson disrupts the balance of the team. Instead of the team being lined up seamlessly, Rodgers has to adapt and change positions of players just to accommodate Johnson. For example, Emre Can had to move out of defence where he excelled so that Johnson could take his place resulting in a poor performance from the young German who seemed to struggle with adapting to the new position. At the start of the season, star performers like Alberto Moreno were dropped in favor of Johnson. Moreno has created 27 chances in the time he has played which had been limited because many were made as a substitute showing. Despite his attacking fluency and calmness in possession, Moreno was made to look like a scapegoat during the Reds’ disastrous run.

While calls of favoritism or jokes about Johnson having ‘dirt’ on Rodgers may seem a bit far-fetched the fact is that he is taking up a space in the team which should go to more deserving players and in essence, he is being carried by the team. Johnson has been a great servant for Liverpool but he has waned and waned dramatically. The harsh truth is that no other team in the Top 8 will have Johnson as an automatic starter and the fact that the Reds do is very worrying considering they have better players on the bench or being played out of position.

Rodgers has gotten rid of most of the Rafa Benitez core with players like Pepe Reina and Daniel Agger shipped out ruthlessly. But for some reason, he seems content on keeping Johnson despite the fact that he has been much worse than the aforementioned players when they were kicked out. These two players had a much greater connection with the fans as well but were sold without much hesitancy. But, Rodgers is going out of his way to get Johnson to sign a new contract when the Reds have at least 6 replacements. The fact that Jon Flannagan, a player who is Scouse and performed immensely last season is close to being shipped out and Johnson is not is a huge worry for the Reds as club and a community.

Johnson’s performances have dipped so considerably that even an ordinary performance such as his against Blackbrun, a Championship team was lauded as brilliant is testament to how far the standards have dropped. A player once tipped for glory at the European level is now being reduced to being praised for poor performances. In the summer transfer window, even teams like QPR shirked away from buying the 30 year old. If the Reds are to move forward, they have to get rid of players like Johnson and push on hungrier players like Flannagan and Ryan McLaughlin. It is the cold but hard truth.

Stats from Squawka.com and Transfer Fees from Transfermarkt.com