The Raheem Sterling transfer saga took an even sourer turn today when his agent, Aidy Ward, launched an incredible attack on Liverpool whilst branding club legend Jamie Carragher a ‘knob’.
SEE MORE:
Liverpool transfer news
Arsenal scout £55m worth of talent ahead of summer transfer raid
Chelsea & Arsenal target to announce club of choice ahead of free transfer
The 20-year-old England international has turned down several offers to extend his contract at Anfield, the biggest thought to be £100,000-a-week, whilst it was claimed on Monday that he had told the club he wants to leave this summer.
But in this latest twist, akin to dropping a nuclear bomb on rather than simply burning his bridges, the player’s agent, Ward, says Sterling would refuse to sign a contract even if he were offered £900,000 per-week, in an explosive interview with the London Evening Standard.
Reports over the last few days have ben critical of the Reds youngster over his particular want for a lucrative, new contract rather than the desire to simply develop as a player under the guidance of Brendan Rodgers.
However, Ward says he doesn’t care about the PR of the club or how the situation is perceived and pays little attention to the lip service of club legends.
“I don’t care about the PR of the club and the club situation. I don’t care.
“He is definitely not signing. He’s not signing for £700, £800, £900 thousand a week. He is not signing.
“My job is to make sure I do the best with them (my clients). If people say I am bad at my job, or they are badly advised it does not matter.”
Many lay the blame at Ward’s door for an ill-judged interview the youngster gave to the BBC earlier this season where he claimed his contract impasse had anything to do with how much he was getting paid.
And this kind of behaviour has had an effect on the player’s relationship with Liverpool fans in particular with Sterling booed by some parts of the audience as he went to collect his ‘Young Player of the Year’ award earlier this week at the club’s annual event.
Former Kop favourites Graeme Souness and Jamie Carragher have also used their roles as broadcast pundits to publicly advise Sterling whilst criticise his representatives, Carragher himself said Sterling should “keep your mouth shut” and “get on with playing football”.
But Ward has now retorted declaring Carragher ‘a knob’.
“Carragher is a knob. Everybody knows it. Any of the criticism from current pundits or ex-Liverpool players – none of them things matter to me. It is not relevant,” said Ward.
And the agent also revealed the player would more likely move to Premier League rivals Chelsea or Manchester City rather than European giants Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.
“I am not worried. Worried is making a decision not knowing what is going to happen. Every premier league club will make a bid for him,” he added.
COMMENTS