"He is not a leader, he is quite clumsy" - Frank Leboeuf slams Chelsea star's overall performances this season
Former Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf has criticized Raheem Sterling for his performances this season. The Frenchman expected better from the England international, who he believes has not been up to the mark this season.
The Blues signed Sterling from Manchester City last summer for £50 million. The English forward has had a rather average campaign, considering his resume. He has only managed to score six goals in 27 Premier League appearances this term.
The former Liverpool forward's form this season has been lambasted by Leboeuf, who wrote in his column for Si & Dan Talk Chelsea (as quoted by Metro):
"I never like to be too hard on some players, I want to respect the man first and I want to respect the player. But when Raheem Sterling arrived at Chelsea, I said that he wasn’t the guy to bring you something else, something extra. If Pep Guardiola decided to get rid of him, then there must be a reason why. I said £50m was too much for him."
He added:
"But on the field, he is not a leader, he is quite clumsy. Even if I was happy to see him scoring two goals against Forest, I have to say that I’m not happy with his performances overall since he arrived. He loses the ball too much, misses chances, and being just too clumsy. He is a big name but let’s say that you want to sell him now to any other club in the world, you will have nobody who will pay what we paid for him."
Delivering a damning verdict on the English forward, Leboeuf concluded:
"I’m happy that he scored but I think it’s too late to change my mind on him and what he brings to the club."
Sterling recorded 131 goals and 95 assists in 339 appearances across competitions during his career at Manchester City, winning four league titles in the process.
"He can be very useful" - Frank Leboeuf urges Chelsea to sign 'fantastic' Premier League star
Frank Leboeuf has urged his former club to secure West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice's services this summer. The Frenchman claimed that the club made a mistake letting go of the England international.
Rice left Chelsea's youth academy to join the Hammers' youth setup. The Englishman has flourished into a proficient midfielder, attracting interest from multiple top-level outfits.
Leboeuf believes Rice could be extremely beneficial in the middle of the park for the Blues. The Frenchman wrote in the aforementioned column:
"Chelsea must try to sign Declan Rice. People have the right to make mistakes, and Chelsea made a mistake when they got rid of him when he was younger.
"Rice is a fantastic player; he’s strong, clever, technically good, physically a monster, and tactically, he can be very useful. It would be a big change if Chelsea signed him because, for the first time in a long time, we would have someone very strong in the middle of the park."
Rice's contract with West Ham is set to expire in 2024. The England international has been linked with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, and the West London outfit.
It remains to be seen where the midfielder will end up this summer.