Sterling the catalyst for huge Chelsea U-turn on transfer policy

Tom Weber

• Updated: 26 Sep 2025 12:45 CDT
• 4 min read

News

Raheem Sterling is the reason why Chelsea started handing out heavily incentivised contracts to new signings, according to a report.

The 30-year-old is the Blues' best-paid player after joining the club in the summer of 2022 as a marquee signing. Sterling was the third-most-expensive arrival during the first window under the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium.

Nowadays, however, the former England international doesn't even train with Chelsea's first team, let alone play. Along with Axel Disasi, Sterling is one of the last remaining members of the West London club's 'Bomb Squad.'

Current ETV

Raheem Sterling 

F (R), M (RL)

Chelsea

Raheem Sterling 

F (R), M (RL)

Chelsea

€11.8M

ETV Range

€10.6M - €13M

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While all the other unwanted players departed, Sterling failed to secure a permanent move away for the second summer running. Last year, Arsenal took a punt on him with a Deadline Day loan, but he did not have much of an impact at the Emirates.

This summer, he didn't even manage to leave Chelsea temporarily, as it was his priority to stay with his family in London. He is training alone, or with the U21s, and faces an uncertain future. Understandably, he is not in a rush to get out of his extremely lucrative contract.

Sterling changed Chelsea's contract policy

Indeed, Sterling's deal is to blame for the significant shift in Chelsea's approach to contracts. As The Athletic points out, after handing the 30-year-old a guaranteed deal in excess of £300,000 per week, club bosses realised that differently-structured terms are more sensible.

Since then, Chelsea have been giving out heavily incentivised contracts, whose value increases or decreases based on individual and team success. Qualification for the Champions League, for example, entailed a significant pay rise for Blues players over the summer.

This, in conjunction with the fact that Chelsea primarily sign young players with less of a claim to big-money contracts, has had the effect of significantly reducing the club's wage bill.

According to Capology, Chelsea have the fourth-biggest payroll in the Premier League. Without Sterling, they would be fifth. Of course, this also means that the Stamford Bridge side may have a harder time attracting elite stars compared to Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City.

Sterling's current deal still runs until 2027, and Chelsea will not pay out its full value just to get him off the books. If he doesn't find a new club next year, he will likely just run down his contract, unless both parties can agree on a mutual termination.

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