Raheem Sterling joins Feyenoord

Former Chelsea F.C. and Manchester City F.C. winger Raheem Sterling has completed a move to Feyenoord on a deal that will keep him at the club until the end of the season.

According to BBC Sport on Thursday, the 31-year-old England international parted ways with Chelsea in January by mutual agreement after reaching a settlement with the Stamford Bridge side.

Reports say the settlement covered the final 18 months of his contract, during which he was earning more than £300,000 a week.
Sterling spent the past few weeks discussing his next move with clubs across England and Europe, but ultimately chose Feyenoord, who currently sit second in the Eredivisie table under the management of former Manchester United and Arsenal striker Robin van Persie.

Speaking after the move was confirmed, Sterling said: “As a free agent, I’ve had, for the first time in a long time, the opportunity to control the next step in my career. I wanted to take my time to speak with clubs and their head coaches to better understand the role they envisioned for me and ensure that I can add real value in this next chapter.

“Having spoken in great detail with Robin, I’m confident that Feyenoord is a place I can be happy and establish myself as a valued member of the team. Playing abroad is a whole new challenge for me – and one I’m ready to embrace. Honestly, I’m just excited to get started.”

Feyenoord sit 17 points behind league leaders PSV, but van Persie believes Sterling can help close the gap and push for Champions League qualification. The former Dutch international said: “Naturally, it’s a fantastic feat that we’ve managed to convince a player of Raheem’s calibre to sign with us. His football resume speaks for itself: he’s a player whose qualities can change the outcome of a game without a doubt, and I am convinced he will turn out to be a valuable addition to the team as we work towards achieving our goals in the second half of this season.”