At 30-years-old, Raheem Sterling has played his entire career in the Premier League, now turning out for Arsenal on loan from Chelsea.
So far this season under Mikel Arteta, Sterling has made 21 appearances, scoring one goal and providing two assists for Arsenal.
Put bluntly, Sterling’s loan hasn’t gone to plan – the winger has often been overlooked on the bench, and Mikel Merino is now effectively starting ahead of him in Arteta’s forward line.
Of course, it currently seems very unlikely that Arsenal would execute a permanent move for Sterling in the summer, who will instead return to Chelsea.
The winger’s contract in west London runs until 2027, and any interested clubs might struggle to replicate Sterling’s lofty wages at Stamford Bridge.
After all, Arsenal pushed to sign Sterling for a bargain deal in their eyes, a loan agreement Edu Gaspar was said to be very proud of at the time.
Raheem Sterling admitted he’d like to play in the MLS in 2019
That being said, when considering what might be next for Sterling, presuming he leaves Chelsea on his return, it’s interesting to revisit some comments he made back in 2019.
Speaking whilst he was at the peak of his powers at Manchester City, Sterling admitted his desire to play in the MLS one day when appearing at a Wall Street Journal conference in New York.
READ MORE: What people at Arsenal are now saying about Raheem Sterling behind the scenes
The new MLS season has just begun, and it would be interesting to see if Sterling could now make that move in the summer given his struggles in England right now.
Speaking five years or so ago, Sterling said: “English football has grown massively over here. It wasn’t like that in the past, and it’ll continue to get bigger.
“I was surprised even just popping out to the shops and being recognised by one or two people. I didn’t expect that over here.
“This is a country I would, one day, love to be able to come to. Your weather is a lot better than ours.
“Hopefully one day I can have my family over here.”
He continued: “There’s always [MLS] games on our television at the training ground.
“For sure, it [MLS] is growing in the UK, and people are really taking it in and want to come over. Hopefully I will have a career here as well.”
Sterling might still see a future in the Premier League
Of course, Sterling may still feel as if he has unfinished business in the Premier League, or perhaps he might even fancy a spell in another European league.
However, a move to the MLS, if it would still be of interest to the England international, could be quite timely.
READ MORE: What Arsene Wenger once complained about Raheem Sterling as he continues to struggle at Arsenal
Sterling’s former teammate Kevin De Bruyne could be heading to the MLS very soon to join San Diego, even if he is a few years older than the winger.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see what Sterling and Chelsea choose to do.
And as mentioned, it does seem very unlikely that Arsenal would make any attempt to sign the winger permanently given that their summer plans should take them elsewhere.
