Thursday brought a report that Chelsea FC are currently working closely with the Professional Footballers’ Association, or PFA, regarding their treatment of forward Raheem Sterling and defender Axel Disasi. Both players are completely frozen out, and not even training away with the rest of the first team squad. Both Sterling and Disasi have been told that they have no future in west London. Yet neither player was able to secure a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer transfer window.
Chelsea FC at Manchester United FYIs
Kickoff: Saturday Sept. 20, 5:30 BST, Old Trafford, London, UK
Man United Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Chelsea FC Previews: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Premier League Standing: Chelsea FC 5th, 8 pts Manchester United 14th, 4 pts
Google Result Probability: Man United win 35% Draw 26% Chelsea FC 39%
Blues Team News
So now Sterling (a £47.5 million signing from Manchester City in July of 2022) and Axel Disasi (a £38.5m acquisition from AS Monaco in August of 2023) are left in no man’s land until the January transfer window.
Sterling, who spent last season out on loan at Aston Villa, has two years left on his five year deal. Disasi, who is under contract until 2029, spent last year on loan at Aston Villa.
Chelsea and the PFA are collaborating to make sure the players are treated fairly and equitably between now and when the January window opens, so that they can finally get an escape route, and thus, on with their careers.
Shifting to the injury front, Romeo Lavia remains out, as the goalposts have been moved back for him yet AGAIN! It seems like the timeline is shifting back for Benoit Badiashile as well. Levi Colwill is out for the year while Liam Delap is sidelined for a couple months.
And then finally, Dario Essugo remains out indefinitely.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter