• Premier League

Show Sterling the money! He deserves a big new deal

Raheem Sterling has impressed for Liverpool and England © Getty Images

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"He's usually the best player on the pitch".

That was a quote last week from Liverpool's young Spanish midfielder Suso when discussing Raheem Sterling. He's right. More often than not in 2014 Sterling has indeed been the best player on the field, even when he has shared that field with much more established and illustrious names.

Sterling's rise has not exactly been meteoric - he was tipped for stardom from a very young age - but he does seem to be developing much faster than expected.

Liverpool knew he'd be good, but did they know he'd be this good, this soon? It seems preposterous now, but 12 months ago you could have made a very strong argument that Sterling should have been loaned out to a Championship side after a promising start to first team life looked to have fizzled out.

A year on he's now consistently one of the Premier League's best players week in week out.

Was anyone actually surprised that he was the star turn during England's drab 1-0 victory in front of a half empty Wembley Stadium last Wednesday night? It would have been more surprising if he wasn't; he's the country's most in-form player based on the opening three games.

The progress in his game over the past nine or 10 months is such that he is now outplaying his contract; a contract which initially seemed a little on the high side when he signed it in December 2012.

For 12 months Sterling's performances never justified his increased salary, but now they are exceeding it by some distance.

In other words, give that man a pay rise.

The last time Sterling's contract was up for discussion it didn't exactly go smoothly. The reported initial demands from his representatives were unrealistic and rumours appeared in the national press that if Liverpool didn't meet those demands then Arsenal and Manchester United among others would be more than happy to.

None of that did Sterling any favours and although he eventually signed a deal that was more in keeping with his development at that time, there was resentment among some of the Anfield fan base at what was perceived to be a "big time Charlie" attitude.

A loss of form followed, perhaps due to a loss of focus having secured the big contract, or maybe it was the weight of expectation that came with it.

Of course it could have just been one of the many peaks and troughs that young players experience.

The problem for Sterling was that when you demand to be paid like a senior player then you no longer get the kind of indulgence and understanding that young players usually get.

Sterling lost form and confidence and his development stalled. A lot of fans were questioning whether he would fulfil his early promise, but he eventually snapped out of his funk just before Christmas. He attributed his resurgence in form to watching DVDs of when he first broke into the side and realising that he'd stopped doing the things that got him into the first team.

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Since then he has been performing at an extremely high level and is now adding goals to his game. He has 11 goals from his last 28 Premier League appearances (not all of them starts), which represents a fine strike rate for a 19-year-old who isn't an out and out frontman.

There are those who feel that you shouldn't give a young player too much too soon. Indeed, Brendan Rodgers has spoken at length on that topic and makes a compelling argument.

Ideally, Liverpool would surely rather wait a while before handing a 19-year-old a £100,000-a-week contract. The problem is, if they don't pay it there are plenty who will, as Sterling is arguably the best teenage footballer in Europe at present. He might actually be the best player at Liverpool right now too.

Sterling and Liverpool enjoyed a bright, but nervous, start to their Prem campaign. Scoring goals in the Champions League - especially against Real Madrid - will send Sterling's value higher still.

Real Madrid are reportedly monitoring his development and that has to be cause for some concern at Anfield.

Usually when one of the Spanish giants want a player they end up getting them; Liverpool know that as well as anybody. Therefore tying Sterling down to a new deal has to be seen as a priority for the club's board, not only to reward him for his fine form and rapid development, but also to protect his value.

If Sterling's people want him to be paid like an elite player (which he is fast becoming) then they will surely have no problem accepting a minimum release clause that reflects such a talent.

There is always the danger that his form could tail off again once he gets the big money deal, and if he gets the top money now at 19 then where do you go from there when it's time to negotiate his next deal? There has to be some kind of limit, surely? The fact remains, however, that Liverpool need to address Sterling's contract before it becomes an issue.

Madrid will get a close up view of the jet-heeled youngster when they face Liverpool twice in the space of as many weeks in the Champions League in late-October and early-November. The ideal outcome for Kopites is for Brendan Rodgers' men to emerge victorious but for Sterling to have a couple of quiet games - or better yet - stinkers!

After all, a couple of storming performances from the teenager may just be enough to coax the Spanish giants into making a move at the end of the season, especially if his contract has not been upgraded to reflect his play.

Raheem Sterling has overcome the form dip which followed his last contract talks © Getty Images

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This article first appeared on ESPNFC.com

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