"Has been treated unfairly", "Doesn’t deserve this" - Rival fans slam Chelsea as superstar expresses desire to leave Blues this summer

Chelsea attacker Raheem Sterling has expressed his desire to leave the English club on a permanent deal. Athletic journalist David Ornstein shared this news on his X account.

Ornstein mentioned that the 29-year-old trained away from the senior squad as he was given Tuesday and Wednesday off.

Rival fans reacted to the news once, with them voicing support for the 29-year-old's situation at Stamford Bridge.

"He has been treated unfairly <broken heart>," posted a Manchester United fan.

Another Manchester United supporter shared a message of support for the Englishman.

"Sterling doesn’t deserve this from Chelsea," the post read.

Other supporters said that the Blues would rue the decision to let the winger go.

"Chelsea will regret this decision," @StarBede shared.

"Chelsea betraying their players," posted another user.

A supporter of the two-time Champions League winners also shared his thoughts on the news.

"We are treating players widely," mentioned the post.

Raheem Sterling was one of the first players to join the club following the takeover by owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly.

Sterling's statement after being left out of Chelsea's matchday squad

The news of Raheem Sterling requesting to leave the club comes on the back of his exclusion from the matchday squad in the Blues' season opener against Manchester City. His representatives released a statement after the match highlighting that they wanted clarity on the player's situation.

"He [Sterling] returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with," read the statement.

"He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity," it continued.

When Maresca was asked about his decision to leave Sterling out of the matchday squad, he told Sky Sports that it was a technical decision.

"The manager has to make some decisions. Sometimes players don't like it, that's normal. Just a technical decision, no more than that."

Sterling has made 81 appearances in all competitions for the west London side since joining from Manchester City for £50 million in 2022.