In the end, everything ended when Raheem Sterling was no longer a Chelsea player. At the age of 31, Sterling terminated his contract with a salary of £325,000/week and became a free agent, possibly joining a new club.
Chelsea issued a notice, confirming what many people had predicted for a long time, when Sterling was removed from the plan for most of the season. After being eliminated from the squad for the first time in August 2024, his loan period at Arsenal once brought him back to the center of attention.
However, when returning to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's stance did not change. Sterling had to train with the reserve squad and was given the opportunity to leave in the summer of 2025, when The Blues had arranged loan agreements with both Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen.
However, the former Liverpool star wants to stay in London to be close to his family. Now, the nightmare at Chelsea has ended and Sterling can consider some notable options before the deadline.
Fulham
Fulham - a neighboring team near Chelsea - could be a reasonable destination if Sterling wants to continue in London. Coach Marco Silva's team has maintained stability in recent seasons and has a great opportunity to compete for a European cup spot.
Sterling can bring experience, and is also a compensation plan after Adama Traore moved to West Ham.
Crystal Palace
January is a forgettable period for Crystal Palace - poor performance in the Premier League, personnel changes and morale decline. Palace has strengthened their attack with Brennan Johnson, but Sterling - if he arrives - can still bring the necessary boost, helping coach Oliver Glasner's team improve opportunities to break out of the danger zone.
Currently, Palace is still 8 points ahead of the relegation zone, but they need more solutions to stabilize.
West Ham
West Ham is in a tense situation, standing right above the relegation group and must fight for the goal of staying in the Premier League. Two consecutive victories ignite hope, but they still need more depth and class in attack.
Sterling may reunite with his old teammate Callum Wilson and increase the quality of attacking options for The Hammers. With the habit of spending in recent years, West Ham may not be too afraid of remuneration requirements.
Brentford
If anyone had said 5 years ago that Sterling joined Brentford on a free transfer, this would have been considered unbelievable. Although not the typical type of contract for Brentford, their addition of Jordan Henderson shows that the club is not afraid to recruit stars over 30 years old.
When the attack shows signs of slowing down, Sterling may be a way to make a difference if Brentford continues to nurture their ambition to participate in European cups.
Newcastle
Newcastle is a less certain option, but it is not without basis. Coach Eddie Howe's team is having to strain themselves on many fronts, the squad is being eroded and the scoring stage is sometimes unstable.
If they want to increase the depth and experience of the squad in the decisive stage, they can consider Sterling as a quality rotation option.
