can't see a thread about this so I thought I'd start one.
I think if we fail to tie Raheem to a long term contract then it will be a devastating blow to the club and the idea that we are going to build the future from the academy.
According to the Guardian, Sterling turns 18 on 8th December and can sign his first proper contract then but his agent is negotiating for more money which is fair enough. There's talk of him being offered 30k a week which is a huge sum of money for a kid but he and his agent are holding out for 50k a week.
while I'm not saying we should give him what he wants but 50k a week for the hottest prospect in english football isn't a lot of money considering we made robbie fowler the highest paid footballer in England @ 50k a week in 1997. before the mentalists start accusing me of comparing fowler and sterling, I'm not. I'm saying 50k 15 years ago was a lot more than 50k is now. I think fowler and roy keane were the highest paid players for a while and 50k was regarded as a ridiculous amount of money to pay a footballer per week. today Jordan Henderson, Darren Bent and peter crouch probably earn at least that.
This Sterling contract is probably the next most important stage in FSGs ownership and will go a long way to indicating where and how this club intends to go in the next few years.