3. Raheem Sterling (from Liverpool to Manchester City 2015/2016) – €62.5 million
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Raheem Sterling’s rise to superstardom was impressive. The British forward of Jamaican descent was only a young dribbler for QPR when he was spotted by Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool system and signed for the youth team in 2010. There, his talent couldn’t be repressed as he took the academy by storm, being promoted to the first team aged just 17.
With the arrival of Brendan Rodgers, his career was about to kick off in truly splendid style. After a 7th spot finish in his first season, Brendan Rodgers’ team began one of the most amazing stories in Premier League history. Alongside Uruguayan stalwart Luis Suarez and ex-Chelsea and Manchester City star Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling formed one of the finest attacking tridents in English history.
With their sheer speed, skill, and offensive instincts, they terrorised defences up and down the country. By May, they had scored 101 league goals (second only to Carlo Ancelotti’s unstoppable 2009/2010 title-winning Chelsea) and 110 in all competitions.
However, they had been defending shoddily all season and Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea stopped them in their tracks in painful style at Anfield before their title challenge was shattered at “The Miracle of Crystanbul” with a 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace. Pellegrini’s Manchester City won the title, despite Rodgers’ team being hailed as champions just days earlier.
Before the start of the following season, Luis Suarez left the club, taking a giant 50-odd goals out of the team that finished second. A first-round Champions League exit preceded a humiliating penalty shootout defeat to Besiktas in the Europa League. Daniel Sturridge – whose injuries had been nearly over in the previous season – was right back on the treatment table.
Despite Rodgers jokingly stating that Liverpool wouldn’t “do a Tottenham”, they did exactly that. No adequate striking replacements were signed and Sterling’s performances took a dip. Moreover, despite being Liverpool’s most creative, most skilful and most offensive player, he was shunted across several positions. Winger, striker, central midfielder and even right-back; Sterling played everywhere to no avail as Liverpool slid down the table to 6th, culminating in a crushing 6-1 humbling at Stoke City in Steven Gerrard’s last match.
For an agent that had been pushing for a big-money move for the highly-coveted youngster all season, no more evidence was needed that he had to depart. Weeks later, Manchester City swooped for €62.5 million, making Liverpool fans decry the move’s financial motivations and attacking the young man even in the national team.
His Manchester City career started with a torrent of abuse from his old club’s fans, and the immense price tag was clearly on his mind. A series of promising but laboured performances suggested that he would do well – after all, he was no longer carrying the team as the burden was shared amongst its host of top stars.
While he was largely believed to be signed as an upgrade to the ineffective Jesus Navas, he failed to hold down a starting XI spot in Pellegrini’s team. Injuries to Vincent Kompany at the back and David Silva in midfield meant that City could not reproduce the title-challenging form of the season’s early months and Sterling was also not at his best.
Eventually, he would make 47 appearances in City colours, contributing just 11 goals in an underwhelming debut season. Still, with age on his side and Guardiola at his back, the young forward can only go up from here, and few doubt that he will go on to greater things.
