Raheem Sterling joining shock new club managed by Premier League icon days after Chelsea contract ripped up

RAHEEM STERLING has agreed to join Dutch club Feyenoord until the end of the season.

The winger ended his Chelsea exile last month after agreeing a settlement with the club to tear up his 325,000-a-year contract in West London.

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A number of clubs have made approaches to the 82-cap England international since he became a free agent.

Everton held talks over a contract, as well as Juventus and Napoli.

The Toffees are understood to have been the most interested of any Premier League club, with Leeds also having considered a deal.

West Ham approached Chelsea over a loan deal for Sterling before he had negotiated his exit.

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The 31-year-old has met with a number of clubs and managers since leaving Chelsea before making a final decision.

Following those talks, he has decided on a short-term deal in Rotterdam after meeting with Feyenoord boss Robin van Persie.

The former Arsenal and Manchester United striker was key in convincing Sterling to make the move to the Eredivisie – with Feyenoord having offered a short term contract to make the deal more attractive.

Playing away from the Premier League spotlight was also a significant factor.

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The Dutch club initially offered a long-term deal, but Sterling has signed until the end of the season to ensure it is a good fit before committing any longer.

Feyenoord are second in the Eredivisie table and pushing for Champions League, though they are already out of Europe this season having finished 29th in the Europa League group phase standings.

Sterling had not played a competitive game for Chelsea since May 2024 and endured a difficult spell on loan at Arsenal last season.

The winger had been training largely alone at Chelsea’s Cobham base having been part of the Blues’ ‘bomb squad’ under former boss Enzo Maresca.

Sterling was the first signing of Chelsea’s current American ownership, arriving in a 47.5million deal from Manchester City, where he won four Premier League titles.

‘A WHOLE NEW CHALLENGE’

Upon signing for Feyenoord, Sterling said: “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, 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 Im ready to embrace. Honestly, Im just excited to get started.

“To Feyenoord and particularly Robin and Dennis, thank you for your patience and professionalism as I navigated this process.”

Van Persie said: Naturally its a fantastic feat that weve managed to convince a player of Raheems calibre to sign with us.

“His football resume speaks for itself: hes 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 as we work towards achieving our goals in the second half of this season.

[FC Utrecht v Feyenoord Rotterdam - Eredivisie, Netherlands - 08 Feb 2026] 3