- The English winger held clear talks with the team on Wednesday.
- But Merson said he found the reports coming from the club “really strange”.
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Paul Merson has expressed his concerns about the way Chelsea are handling the Raheem Sterling situation and says he hopes manager Enzo Maresca is “not taking orders from above”.
Mail Sport revealed on Wednesday evening that the winger had held clear talks with the club with the aim of finding a solution to his uncertain future.
Stamford Bridge sources have revealed that the outcome of discussions was for all parties to work together to find Sterling, who was given permission to miss training on Tuesday and Wednesday, a permanent move away from Chelsea before next Friday’s transfer deadline.
The club are now actively trying to identify suitors for the 29-year-old, who they are expected to keep in the loop.
But Arsenal legend Merson remains concerned about what is happening at Chelsea despite recent developments and said reports from the club were “really strange” in an interview with Sky sports.
Paul Merson has expressed his concerns over Chelsea’s handling of the Raheem Sterling situation
Arsenal icon remains concerned about what is happening at the club, despite the latest development
Chelsea will look for a new team for Sterling, who is not in Enzo Maresca’s plans
“It’s very rare to get rid of players you already have and Raheem is one of them,” he said. “He’s better than some of the Chelsea wingers, there’s no doubt about that.”
‘I find it really strange. I hope the manager is not subject to orders from above and says what they want him to say, because when you are the manager of a big football club like Chelsea and you want to win things, you have to do it your way.
“The truth is that it hasn’t been a good start. It’s like a soap opera… but it doesn’t look good. (Previous manager Mauricio) Pochettino has been out of work for a while and in the end he can’t wait to leave Chelsea.”
The talks, which included direct dialogue with Sterling, are expected to pave the way for the player to leave permanently this summer.
The England international has not been at the club’s Cobham headquarters since the player’s representatives released a statement calling for clarity over his future following a sequence of events, with his exclusion from the squad for last Sunday’s clash with Manchester City the tip of the iceberg.
The 29-year-old has now managed to get the clarity he was looking for, and is now clear that he has no future with Enzo Maresca.
Sterling has not been at the club’s training centre in Surrey this week on permission from the club.
Maresca has said he will train away from the first team, alongside the likes of Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah.
Sterling has been given permission to miss training and has been left out of the squad against Manchester City.
Chelsea continue to see significant player rotation under manager Todd Boehly
Trevoh Chalobah has been banned from using senior facilities this summer
It remains to be seen whether Sterling will be prevented from using the first-team facilities when he returns to Cobham.
Chalobah has been prevented from using senior facilities this summer after the club made it clear he is available for a transfer.
If the club remains firm on that stance, Sterling will be asked to train with the academy until he finds a new club.