Manchester City letting go of this £170,000-a-week speed demon could be the biggest blunder

Why should Manchester City somehow keep Raheem Sterling post contract issues

Premier League champions Manchester City and their forward Raheem Sterling are in a stalemate over talks about a new contract. The Englishman did not sign a new deal before the World Cup, in a bid to perform well in the summer and force the Cityzens to improve the contract terms.

The word from Sterling’s camp was that after a decent outing in Russia, City will oblige to increase his personal terms. But as it turned out, the club is keeping a tight stance and may not offer anything better in his contract, which stands at £170,000-a-week currently.

They will probably now wait for the player to come back from holiday and get the negotiations done before the season starts. It is also being reported that although Sterling’s contract runs until 2020, the 23-year-old will be sold next season if there is no outcome of the colloquies.

Here’s why Manchester City must not let Raheem Sterling go and make him sign a new deal instead:

Sterling is an important figure in Guardiola’s system

Having scored 23 goals and provided 12 assists in 43 appearances last season, Sterling was one of the key components in Pep Guardiola‘s title-winning line-up. The 23-year-old hugged the touchline to stretch the game and also made clever runs inside to not just score goals but also to fabricate chances for his teammates. His upward form will undoubtedly improve in the years to come by.

So it is vital for the Cityzens to keep hold of a player ahead of his “peak years” and allow Guardiola to build the attack around him. It is not always pretty to think about players demanding improved contract terms, however, Sterling has done enough to get a pay rise.

This is quite a predicament for the Premier League champions as they bid to keep up their top form. In spite of them signing Riyad Mahrez to cover that position, they need someone like Sterling who has pace and directness to trouble defenders.

Read More: Forget Zinchenko – 2 wonder talents Pep Guardiola should sign for Man City including Stoke starlet

The Verdict

It is a situation where both parties need to arrive at a solution before things go out of hand. It won’t be good on Manchester City’s part to sell a high-profile player like Sterling and the Englishman himself would love to play under Guardiola rather than going elsewhere just because of contract tensions.