Raheem Sterling has traded the quiet pitches of Cobham for a buzzing five-a-side cage, taking a break from his Chelsea limbo to put smiles on young faces. The 30-year-old forward, frozen out of Enzo Maresca’s first-team plans, spent the day coaching children from Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School in Tolworth.
The England international joined forces with academy coach Azeez to deliver a lively session for 25 schoolchildren, mixing drills, games, and plenty of laughter. His RS7 Academy called it “a day of fun and football,” thanking teachers, parents, and pupils for making it “a memorable day for everybody involved.”
For fans, it was a rare sighting of Sterling, who has been training away from Chelsea’s senior group since the summer. The winger, still one of the club’s highest earners on over £300,000 a week, was told by Maresca he had no future in the squad. He even missed out on the club’s official 2025–26 team photo, a clear signal that his time at Stamford Bridge is all but over.
Sterling joined Chelsea from Manchester City in 2022 for £47.5 million but has struggled to find form or favour. After a mixed loan spell at Arsenal last season, where he made 28 appearances but scored just once, his career has stalled. He reportedly rejected interest from Napoli, Bayern Munich, and several London clubs in the summer, preferring to stay close to family in the capital.
The PFA is understood to have contacted Chelsea to ensure Sterling and fellow outcast Axel Disasi, who trains alongside him, have access to full facilities and coaching. Club staff have been assigned to oversee their private sessions at Cobham while they await potential moves in January.
Maresca has been blunt about the situation, admitting the pair train “at a different time on a different pitch” and insisting there is “no way back” for either player.
Despite his professional frustration, Sterling has remained active off the pitch. He continues personal fitness work with performance expert Ben Rosenblatt, formerly of the England setup, and has poured energy into his RS7 Academy, launched in August. The initiative runs youth programmes across south-west London and aims to promote participation and equality in sport.
Parents praised Sterling online after videos showed him encouraging youngsters and posing for photos. The RS7 Academy has promised “the first of many” such community days, inviting other schools to get involved.
While Chelsea prepare for their Premier League clash with Sunderland, Sterling faces another long wait before he can relaunch his career when the transfer window opens in January. He has not played a competitive match since his final outing for Arsenal in May.
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