All good things must come to an end and Raheem Sterling's time at Manchester City has been fantastic.
It may well finish as something of a damp squib after he slid down Pep Guardiola's pecking order, but when Sterling completes his imminent departure to Chelsea he will do so with his name firmly secure in the City history books. He arrived at the Etihad extremely talented but raw, inconsistent and more focused on fancy flicks than efficient moves. In Manchester, he has matured into a ruthless goal scorer and a real leader.
Some 131 goals and 94 assists in 337 appearances is a fantastic return and he will leave the club having played integral roles in four Premier League title wins, five Carabao Cup triumphs and an FA Cup victory. Sterling was a sublime signing for City, so much so that it's difficult to believe there was so much backlash when they splashed £50million to get him from Liverpool in 2015. But now is the right time for him to leave.
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While still an excellent player, Sterling hasn't been Guardiola's first pick for the left-wing position for some time now, with Phil Foden coming in and shining in the position. It's also £100million signing Jack Grealish's best role so it's understandable that Sterling can't be given the assurances of playing time he desires. With Riyad Mahrez holding it down on the right, Bernardo Silva capable of playing there and the arrivals of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez, competition is fierce in attacking positions.
The fact that City feel comfortable in selling Sterling after allowing Gabriel Jesus to leave not only shows how confident they are in their current options but also that they know it's crucial to rebuild. Even when the house appears sturdy in order to prevent any cracks from ever appearing. Regardless of how brutal it appears.
It's how Sir Alex Ferguson thrived for so long at Manchester United, as he repeatedly ripped up teams while they were at the peak of their powers, much to the dismay of everyone else, only to then usher in a new, better side. There was uproar when Paul Ince, Lee Sharpe and Andrei Kanchelskis were all sold within a year but in their place, Ferguson ushered in the famed Class of '92 players and the rest is history.
Sometimes you need to trim the flowers to let the plants grow. No matter how pretty they are.
United have long forgotten that philosophy and instead of getting rid of good players at the perfect time they are now tying mediocre ones down to lengthy contracts and act surprised when they can't shift them a few months later. Eric Bailly, Phil Jones etc.
But City have learned it and are applying it to perfection. Other clubs would be scared of selling such talented players as Sterling and Jesus to direct Premier League rivals — and it may even come back to bite them in fixtures this season — but it's a brave and bold move to make.
By moving on players who are undoubtedly excellent but have perhaps done all they can at the Etihad, spots have been freed up for young players to come in, rejuvenate the squad and maybe go on to be even better. The obvious candidates are Cole Palmer, Liam Delap and James McAtee, who will all be hoping for a significant increase in first-team minutes this season but will have to prove they're good enough when the opportunity arises.
There is also the incoming Alvarez, who has continued to dazzle in Argentina and now may have a clear route to the first team that he otherwise might not have. Kayky, another exciting South American who arrived last season, will be hoping he too can make a big impression this season.
It may seem baffling for City to sell such big players when they haven't strictly signed like-for-like replacements for them on the flanks, but it sets a challenge for the club's promising youngsters to step up and fill them.
Sterling and Jesus may have been successful, but success can lead to complacency if you aren't careful and change is often needed to keep everyone hungry for more. It was the philosophy that allowed Ferguson to dominate for so long and it could have the same result for Guardiola at City.
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