Friday 3 April 2015 11:55, UK
As the saga continues regarding Raheem Sterling's contract at Liverpool, Adam Bate argues that nobody should lose sight of what an extraordinary talent the Reds have on their hands...
The sceptics are out in force and understandably so. Raheem Sterling's claim that he just wants "to be seen as a kid that loves to play football" is an admission that it's perception that matters now. A public relations battle. A phoney war.
The ambition for Sterling and his 'intermediaries' will be to win hearts, minds and avoid some of the criticism that came Steven Gerrard's way on Merseyside when he flirted with a move to Chelsea in 2005. Is it too late for all that? Sterling need only talk to his club captain or indeed the England skipper Wayne Rooney to appreciate that bridges can soon be rebuilt in this business.
But amid the cacophony of noise surrounding Sterling's contract, an unlikely aspect of the debate has been the attempt to downplay the player's significance. The salary figures mentioned are dazzling and when the story features on the main evening news, the public forum is shifted from the Kop to the Co-op, where perspectives on footballers' wages can be rather less sympathetic.
The greedy young man narrative has gathered pace. They'll tell you that Sterling has shown flashes of potential but has managed little more than one good season. John Barnes has joined the list of Liverpool greats pointing out that the youngster has much to prove and even more to learn. Others are on hand to stress that Sterling owes Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool a debt of loyalty.
Against this backdrop, the danger is that we lose sight of the vast potential that has inflamed such opinion. As a result, it is worth revisiting some of the statistics that serve to highlight the point that this is not an ordinary talent. Football might be a global game but the list of players showing similar levels of quality to Sterling at the same age remains remarkably short.
Stunning stats
Consider the numbers. At first glance, Sterling's tally of six Premier League goals this season might not seem particularly high but he's the only player yet to celebrate his 21st birthday to have found the net more than once. He's also the only player under the age of 23 to have delivered seven assists or more, ranking seventh overall in the top flight.
Sterling has created 62 chances from open play. That puts him third behind Eden Hazard and David Silva, but more tellingly the closest player younger than him is Adnan Januzaj with less than a quarter of that number. Sterling has also completed 83 dribbles, behind only Hazard and Alexis Sanchez, and there is nobody at the same age that has come up with more than 20 of them.
The versatile 20-year-old topped all of these charts last season too, and while his brief experience in the Champions League earlier this term was not an obvious success, Sterling still ranked among the top dozen dribblers. Indeed, he was the youngest among them and it's to the continent that many will be looking until Liverpool are able to resolve this contract situation.
Barcelona and Real Madrid have been mentioned as potential destinations and while the Spanish clubs are known for either promoting from within or acquiring the finished product, their interest cannot be discounted. Contrary to popular opinion, the statistics suggest that La Liga is not exactly teeming with young talent producing the numbers Sterling is delivering for Liverpool.
Special
There is no player in La Liga aged 21 or under that has completed even half as many dribbles as Sterling this season. Likewise, there is no player in La Liga aged 21 or under that has created half as many chances as Sterling this season. As in all of Europe's five major leagues, the players with more assists are all older than him. As was clear from the very beginning, he is that special.
"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Liverpool youth scout Mark Anderson when describing to Michael Calvin in The Nowhere Men the moment he first saw Sterling in action. "There were some raw edges, but he was the best thing I'd ever seen. I flagged him up immediately, and watched him countless times. He produced something special in every game, showed me everything."
Cruel fate
Calvin himself summed up those early days of barely-concealed anticipation well. "The name Raheem Sterling was always spoken in hushed tones at Melwood, Liverpool's training ground, as if reverence would spare its owner the random cruelties of fate." Well, fate is looming large and looking ready to strike the blow to Liverpool instead of the player himself.
How complicit has the club been in allowing that situation to develop? Sterling could point to a stint at wing-back at a time when he's surely entitled to regard himself as Liverpool's main man. Rodgers has provided a platform on which to play, but if that does not include the Champions League next season, then Sterling's stalling seems entirely explicable. The blame game could run and run.
Change of mood
As the mood changes, some might tell you that Jordon Ibe is the bright new thing at Anfield these days. Others will rightly argue that nobody is bigger than Liverpool Football Club, pointing to the exit of Luis Suarez and diminished importance of Steven Gerrard as recent evidence that the club can overcome the loss of any individual regardless of their stature.
But what nobody should be in any doubt about is that Raheem Sterling is a player of substance. A pure talent. The scouts have witnessed it and wondered at it. The analysts have quantified it and mapped out the predictions for its progression. Now Liverpool are being asked to put a number on what it's worth to them. Don't doubt that Europe's very biggest clubs will be doing so too.
