The debate about Raheem Sterling’s treatment at Chelsea raged all week.
TalkSPORT presenter and former Blues defender Jason Cundy was forced to storm off another show after being outraged by what he heard.
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Chelsea have faced criticism all summer for their completely puzzling transfer strategy.
They signed 10 players, expanding their squad to an incredible level. At one point they had 56 experienced players under contract.
Particular attention was paid to the way in which numerous established players were pushed out of the club.
Read more about Raheem Sterling
Conor Gallagher, Trevoh Chalobah, Armando Broja and Romelu Lukaku were immediately banned by Enzo Maresca.
But now Sterling and Ben Chilwell have been told they are surplus to requirements and excluded from all first-team activities.
Sterling, who Chelsea signed from Man City for £47.5 million two years ago, even had his squad number withdrawn and given to Pedro Neto.
“I’m really pissed off,” said Jason Cundy as he entered the kick-off area with Hugh Woozencroft and Flex.
Woozencroft joked: “I was harassed in my own workplace. I’m going to HR tomorrow.”
Cundy continued: “I’ve been listening out there, great show by the way, fascinating to listen to. But to hear you talk about the way Raheem Sterling is being treated.
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“Football shock… player was treated badly to get out of the club. Only club that has ever done that. I have to tell you, it has happened to me more than once.
“Jamie O’Hara went through it, that’s football. On a human level, I feel for Raheem, I feel for Conor and I feel for Chalobah. On a human level.
“But that’s football. These players are paid hundreds of thousands of pounds a week and sometimes their faces don’t match.
“That doesn’t make it right, but it’s not breaking news.
“Man United treated Roy Keane like this when he left. It’s been going on for decades.”
“What happens when managers get fired? Where does that sadness go when managers get fired? You never hear about that.”
“The way you two are acting made me giggle and think I have to say something.”
Chelsea signings under Todd Boehly
Moises Caicedo – August 2023 – Brighton – £115m
Enzo Fernandez – January 2023 – Benfica – £106.8m
Mykhailo Mudryk – January 2023 – Shakhtar Donetsk – £89 million
Wesley Fofana – August 2022 – Leicester – £70 million
Marc Cucurella – August 2022 – Brighton – £62m
Romeo Lavia – August 2023 – Southampton – £58m
Pedro Neto – August 2024 – Wolves – £54m
Christopher Nkunku – June 2023 – RB Leipzig – £52 million
Raheem Sterling – July 2022 – Manchester City – £47.5m
Joao Felix – August 2024 – Atlético Madrid – £46.3m
Cole Palmer – August 2023 – Manchester City – £40 million
Axel Disasi – August 2023 – Monaco – £38.8m
Kalidou Koulibaly – July 2022 – Napoli – £33m
Benoit Badiashile – January 2023 – Monaco – £34m
Nicolas Jackson – June 2023 – Villarreal – £32m
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – July 2023 – Leicester – £30m
Noni Madueke – January 2023 – PSV Eindhoven – £29 million
Malo Gusto – January 2023 – Lyon – £26.3m
Robert Sanchez – August 2023 – Brighton – £25m
Lesley Ugochukwu – August 2023 – Rennes – £23.1m
Filip Jorgensen – July 2024 – Villarreal – £20.7m
Carney Chukwuemeka – August 2022 – Aston Villa – £20m
Omari Kellyman – July 2024 – Aston Villa – £19m
Andrey Santos – January 2023 – Vasca da Gama – £18 million
Devid Washington – August 2023 – Santos – £17.2m
Aaron Anselmino – July 2024 – Boca Juniors – £17m
Djorde Petrovic – August 2023 – New England Revolution – £13.6m
Angelo – July 2023 – Santos – £12.9m
Cesare Casadei – August 2022 – Inter Milan – £12.6m
Renato Veiga – July 2024 – Basel – £12m
Gabriel Slonina – August 2022 – Chicago Fire – £12m
David Datro Fofana – January 2023 – Molde – £10.6m
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – September 2022 – Barcelona – £10.3m
Caleb Wiley – July 2024 – Atlanta United – £8.5m
Marc Guiu – July 2024 – Barcelona – £5m
Tosin Adarabioyo – July 2024 – Fulham – Free
When asked about Chelsea being disrespectful to Sterling by taking away his shirt number, Cundy said: “They don’t respect him. What they’re saying is: ‘Raheem, get out of here now’.”
“It’s like saying you want to stay on your £1.4 million a month salary. That’s fine, but your career will come to a standstill. That’s brutal.”
“On a human level, I feel for them.”
He added: “I can speak from personal experience, it has happened to me and I have seen it happen to others. This continues.”
“I’m not [defending it]. What I’m saying is that it’s football.”
Sterling has three years left on his contract at Chelsea, which equates to a weekly salary of £325,000, meaning the Blues owe him more than £43 million.
The Pitch Prospect understands that Sterling is not willing to move to Saudi Arabia.
Juventus are interested in the former Liverpool and Manchester City star, who is still trying to fight his way back into the England national team after missing out on the European Championships.
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