Robin van Persie’s plan to see Raheem Sterling save his season at Feyenoord could backfire in a big way, according to one Eredivisie expert
Robin van Persie’s decision to place his faith in Raheem Sterling hasn’t paid off just yet(Image: Pim Waslander/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Former Premier League star Raheem Sterling moved to Rotterdam with dreams of relaunching his career at Feyenoord. However, a sluggish start to life at De Kuip could not only put a nail in the coffin of his own job but Robin van Persie‘s, too.
Van Persie, who played against Sterling when they were at Manchester United and Liverpool respectively, finds himself in a fight to save his job. Feyenoord currently sit second in the Eredivisie but are now 15 points behind leaders PSV after winning just once in their last four.
Sterling, 31, joined the Dutch powerhouse in February after agreeing to terminate his £325,000-a-week contract at Chelsea. And while his signing was greeted by much fanfare initially, Dutch football expert Michael Statham explained how Feyenoord’s fans are now feeling somewhat underwhelmed by his impact (or lack thereof).
“I think the expectations aren’t as high as they might have been if he were at an English club,” Statham told Mirror Football. “I think at Feyenoord what has helped is that the fans are aware of English football, they watch English football but they’re not going to obsess over it. But they’ve obviously gone, ‘Oh wow, there’s a star from England that’s come to join us’, and it was exciting for the fans.
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“However, I do think that there have been some comments, there have been some people [who are] maybe not thinking it’s the most successful move and are a bit surprised he’s not actually as good as people thought he would be.”
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Statham, who runs a Dutch football-focused account on X (@FootballOranje_), went on to note Sterling’s performances have improved over time. He’s become part of Van Persie’s starting setup after a couple of sub appearances and has one assist in five outings overall.
A top-two finish in the league table is paramount for Van Persie to restore some faith among the fans. But with surprise package NEC Nijmegen and Ajax breathing down their necks, the gamble on Sterling being the man to add that influx of quality and get them over the line may not pay off.
“The way Feyenoord probably see it, and this is me speculating, they are having a terrible season,” Statham continued. “They need to qualify for the Champions League for next season and that money is massive to the club because they go straight into the league phase by finishing second. There’s no chance of winning the league, so it’s all about finishing second.
“And with Van Persie struggling, they don’t want to pull the trigger on getting rid of him. But they thought, ‘Bring in Sterling and his wage over X games that he’s got left before the end of the season is less than the money we’ll get in the Champions League next season’.
“So it’s a gamble worth taking because paying his wage for the rest of the season, it’s like, well if we pay this we’re probably going to get Champions League football because we know that with him and his talents [we’ll likely qualify].So they’ve kind of put that faith in him that it will make a difference. Ultimately, I don’t think it’ll make a difference…”
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Even a third-place finish in the Eredivisie would secure Feyenoord a spot in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. But with only five points separating them and Ajax in fourth, their place at Europe’s top table is far from being confirmed.
It was always likely to take Sterling some time to settle in among the Dutch top flight before fans saw is best. Despite making 28 appearances on loan at Arsenal last season, only 13 of those came from starts.
The year prior to that the England international scored 10 goals and made 11 assists for Chelsea. And it’s that version of the four-time Premier League champions fans in Rotterdam were perhaps excited to see.
Of course, the burden lies with more than just Sterling to get the job done and fashion as much success out of this term as possible. However, there’s no getting away from the weight of expectation his signing will bring for Van Persie as much as the player himself.
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