Raheem Sterling has been advised to end his stint at Feyenoord and “just go to Ibiza” after a difficult start to his time in the Netherlands. The former England international joined the Dutch side in January after mutually terminating his contract with Chelsea, but has managed only one assist in his early appearances.
Sterling was substituted after 55 minutes in Feyenoord’s recent defeat to Ajax, prompting criticism from former Netherlands international Rene van der Gijp. Speaking on the Willem & Wessel podcast, van der Gijp said: “He should just go to Robin van Persie and say, ‘Let’s stop this, this isn’t going to work.’ He should just go to Ibiza, put on his swimming trunks and eat a delicious paella with his wife. This isn’t going to work out for him anymore.”
Fellow former Dutch international Willem van Hanegem echoed the sentiment, suggesting Feyenoord should cut their losses. “He just wasn’t there again. If I were them, I would ask for my money back and say: just go home. He used to be a good player; he was still fit and fast, but that’s about it,” van Hanegem said. He added that Sterling lacks speed and is easily knocked off the ball.
Feyenoord manager Robin van Persie has defended Sterling, insisting he simply needs to regain his sharpness after a lack of game time at Chelsea. Sterling did not play a single minute for Chelsea this season before his move.
The 31-year-old’s decline has been stark. In 2019 he was named Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year after scoring 25 goals for Manchester City, but he has never recaptured that form. A loan spell at Arsenal last season yielded only seven Premier League starts.
