Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi are at a crossroads since they were both shunned by Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca-led administration and were consequently dropped from the first team roster. When Sterling, now 30, uploaded a photo of himself training alone at 8 p.m. on Monday, it was quite clear what that was.
The previous two were told they had no future in west London, therefore there was no space on the plane for them the night before Maresca and his team left for Germany to play Bayern Munich in the Champions League. At Stamford Bridge, Disasi has also been practicing apart from the main squad.
However, the harsh truth is that Sterling desired to leave this summer, ideally to join another London team. He was forced to train away from his colleagues when a transfer, which to Fulham seemed the most likely, fell through. Gabriel Agbonlahor has urged the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) to intervene.
Agbonlahor Urges The PFA to Intervene With Chelsea’s Bomb Squad
In a lengthy interview with Alan Brazil of talkSPORT about the circumstances surrounding Celtic-affiliated Sterling, Agbonlahor stated: “I’ve witnessed it at Aston Villa with guys. I recall that under Paul Lambert, the bomb squad had to go and train independently. ‘Oh, I can’t speak to the bomb squad group,’ the players thought. I do not like to be discovered conversing with them. It depresses you so much.
“Yes, Raheem Sterling wasn’t at his best the previous season. Only four starts, no goals, and two assists in 17 Premier League games for Arsenal. He went on to list the accomplishments of the London-born winger’s career, adding, “But he’s only 30 Raheem Sterling now.”
“Four Premier League titles, five League Cups, one FA Cup, 82 England caps, and 20 goals.” Additionally, he is training alone while receiving appalling treatment from the manager. My issue with certain supporters is that they complain about players like Wissa and Isak wanting to go. However, a club will treat you like complete trash if they don’t want you.
“This is when they’ll force you to train. You will be forced to sit alone in the changing room, far from your comrades. What about the mental health of Raheem Sterling? What about the mental health of [Axel] Disasi?
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) announced in August 2024 that it intended to outlaw the use of bomb squads by clubs. Three years ago, FIFA revised its rules to include a clause in Article 14(2) that states that a club may engage in “abusive conduct” if a player is forced to train alone.
As previously stated, Agbonlahor has called on the PFA to step in and stop the chaos at Chelsea. “It’s just not right,” he went on, adding that the way teams typically treat players causes a lack of commitment in the beautiful game. “And I am aware that many players from numerous football teams have experienced it. Football lacks loyalty because of this.
Because fans say things like, ‘How startling it is,’ when a player wants to quit and makes a big deal out of leaving a football team. You dare? You have a contract. Alan, if a football team doesn’t want you, they will stop at nothing to get you to go.
“You simply leave because they want you to be miserable. It’s absolutely absurd, so I’m just pleased I played when I did. The PFA must take some action. They must be involved in it. You must have more than five or six players, I’m sure. I must investigate this. If you wanted to, you could simply go home. The number of players you train with must be a specific number. That should be a requirement for clubs, in my opinion.
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