Raheem Sterling had a challenging Sunday as he was jeered by his own supporters and missed a penalty, but his Chelsea teammates haven’t wasted any time in supporting the forward.
Raheem Sterling was jeered by Chelsea supporters after a poor performance, but he has now won the support of his teammates in public.
On Sunday, the Blues defeated Leicester City late to advance to the FA Cup semifinals. However, Sterling had a challenging afternoon as he failed to score from 12 yards in the first half when Cole Palmer, who has only scored twice in 2024, gave over penalty duties to his teammate.
Prior to being heckled by his own supporters in the second half, Sterling also squandered a clear one-on-one opportunity in the first half.
Twenty yards out, Chelsea was awarded a free-kick, and the former England international took it. As spectators let out their displeasure, his effort skyrocketed, almost reaching the top tier.
The Chelsea player acknowledged on social media for his mistakes, but they didn’t stop his club from winning: “To all the Chelsea fans, apologies for the Penalty miss. I’ll be back 10x times stronger to help the team win and continue to keep fighting for the badge every single day”.
Palmer responded by saying: “My brother. s*** happens, no need to apologise.” Noni Madueke, who scored his team’s fourth, echoed that as he said: “Bro, no need to apologise… we appreciate you G”.
Other Chelsea players who responded to Sterling’s Instagram post with words of encouragement included Carney Chukwuemeka and Enzo Fernandez. The team is still in the search for a trophy, which might at least partially save their season.
Sterling arrived from Manchester City early in Todd Boehly’s tenure, and he is now in his second season at Stamford Bridge. After spending £47.5 million to join, he has found it difficult to maintain the form he displayed at the Etihad, where he regularly scored goals and won individual awards.
Sterling does not appear to want to leave west London, nor does Chelsea appear to want to sell him, despite the hostility of the supporters and his inconsistent play.
According to The Daily Mail, Boehly did not plan to talk about Sterling during his recent meeting with the Saudi football chief.
However, it is understood that, should an offer come in, Chelsea would “unlikely” obstruct Sterling’s path if he made it plain that he wanted to take on a new challenge. With a deal that runs until 2027, Sterling earns £300,000 a week, making him their highest paid employee.
