Liverpool 'infuriated by Raheem Sterling's BBC interview'

Raheem Sterling suddenly popped up on BBC platforms at 5pm to address some of the negative PR that has been coming his way of late.

Sterling’s decision to turn down £100,000 per week at Anfield has been the subject of much controversy, with some fans suggesting the 20-year-old is nothing but another football mercenary.

However, Sterling’s interview was clearly designed to cast the England international in a more positive light, with Sterling seeking to convince Liverpool fans that his refusal to sign a new contract is not motivated by financial concerns.

"It's not about the money at all," he told the BBC. "It's never been about money. I talk about winning trophies throughout my career. That's all I talk about. I don't talk about how many cars I'm going to drive, how many houses I've got. I just purely want to be the best I can be.

"I don't want to be perceived as a money-grabbing 20-year-old. I just want to be seen as a kid who loves to play football and to do the best for the team.

"I keep hearing I've rejected all sorts of contracts. Me, the club and my reps have spoken about it and put talks on hold until end of season, so it's frustrating to hear the contract situation keep going on and on. I just wanted to get my point across on the whole thing."

Sterling also revealed that he would have signed a new contract worth less than £100,000 per week last season: "If, at that point in time, I was offered a contract, I most definitely would have signed straight away, probably for far less money than being said now. I just think the timing was a bit off."

According to the Daily Mail, and according to all common sense, Liverpool did not sanction Sterling’s interview and are said to be angry about “an in-depth TV discussion that Liverpool knew nothing about until shortly before it was aired”. Reporter Ian Ladyman adds: “Liverpool are infuriated by Sterling's decision to give the interview without even telling them and some members of the club's hierarchy are convinced that the England international and his representatives are simply preparing the way for a move this summer.”

He continues: “At Liverpool on Wednesday the club’s hierarchy were aghast. Not only did they know nothing of Sterling’s chat with the BBC until other journalists rang to ask them about it, they are understandably suspicious about the timing and motives. Rodgers and his players are coming off a sobering home loss to Manchester United, in which Sterling played poorly, and now face Arsenal in the League and Blackburn in the FA Cup — games that will go a long way to determining whether this current season is marked success or failure.

“Now, rather than draw a line under talk about his contract, the subject of Sterling and his future will dominate the next few days. Liverpool and Rodgers, who tends to be unemotional about these things, view this as unhelpful and unsettling. Was this the whole point of the arrangement made by Sterling’s management with the BBC? Liverpool are asking themselves this question, and, regardless of the answer, Sterling’s standing at the club has inevitably changed.”

Predictably, in a slow news week, Sterling’s interview was splashed across the back pages. Here’s a selection of the papers Liverpool’s PR team were waking up to today:

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers holds his weekly press conference on Friday at 2pm and can expected to be hit with a deluge of questions about the winger, who has two years left on a contract worth just £35,000 per week. This is a big test of Rodgers’ management: having lost his best player last season when Luis Suarez joined Barcelona, he would be loath to see the same thing happen again this summer.

Rodgers has subtly applied pressure to Sterling in the past, openly explaining to Liverpool supporters that the club have made an “incredible” offer to the forward, but underlining that they will not be held to ransom by any player. It will be fascinating to see how he addresses the issue today.

Sterling’s interview with the BBC is a wholly transparent piece of media manipulation designed to win fans over and present Sterling as a grounded individual who values trophies over money, but it’s likely to have the opposite effect, casting him as a figure who believes himself to be above the club and willing to embark on his own PR offensive without the permission of his employers.

Such manoeuvres are not uncommon in football and they don’t often end well. This is a sign of a major rift between player and club and is probably laying the groundwork for his eventual departure. In the days before a big match against Arsenal, describing their interest as “quite flattering” is a big gaffe and Liverpool fans will be right to be angry.

This unauthorised interview may well have ensured the speculation around him will increase, rather than subside, so will actually be counter-productive for the player. But his agents probably aren't complaining.