Raheem Sterling, a 31-year-old winger capped 82 times by England, has joined Feyenoord on a contract until the end of the season as a free agent. He terminated his Chelsea contract at the end of January, which had 18 months remaining. Sterling has not played a competitive game since the final day of last season while on loan at Arsenal. He experienced a difficult first half of this season after being banished from the Chelsea first-team by then-manager Enzo Maresca. Sterling spoke of taking time to assess clubs, held detailed talks with Robin van Persie, and expressed readiness to embrace playing abroad.
"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 Robin [van Persie, the Feyenoord manager], 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."
"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."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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