Why Raheem Sterling’s Loan Move to West Ham Would Be a Bad Idea. Let me begin by stating that I don’t believe the rumour linking Raheem Sterling with a loan move to West Ham. It seems to be a story of convenience, likely suiting the disgruntled Chelsea player and filling a few column inches during a slow news week.
For those who don’t know, the £50M man was left out of the Chelsea squad for their Premier League opener, prompting his representatives to take to social media and demand “clarity” from the West London club.
Putting aside the obvious issues with the player’s sense of entitlement, believing he deserves to start among Chelsea’s expensively assembled team, I’m not convinced the move would be good for West Ham.
The Hammers have a new head coach in Julen Lopetegui, who is looking to establish his style and authority at the club. The last thing he needs is a player who might undermine the club when things don’t go his way.
Then there’s the impact on the squad itself. The Irons already have a situation where talented left winger Crysencio Summerville is waiting patiently for his chance to start in the first team. Signing Sterling would only further congest an area of the squad that currently has a perfect balance of experience and youth.
£20M summer signing Luis Guilherme was unable to make the bench for West Ham’s first game of the season against Aston Villa. He might as well pack his bags and go home if the club were to sign Sterling.
The Chelsea winger is undoubtedly a talented player, and there would certainly be benefits to signing him. But he’d also create problems—just as he is doing at his current club.
