Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling has been "very poor" of late and supporters are losing patience, according to journalist Simon Phillips.
Is Sterling having a good season for Chelsea?
The 28-year-old traded Manchester City for the Blues last summer, coming in as a big-money addition who would hopefully hit the ground running. It has been a grim season at Stamford Bridge, however, with Chelsea sitting 11th in the Premier League, and Sterling's campaign has got worse as the campaign has gone on.
He has scored just four goals and registered two assists in the league, which is a poor return over 22 appearances, and he hasn't found the net in the competition since New Year's Day. While he can't be solely blamed for the various struggles on show currently, he could be offering a lot more quality and consistency.
Some recent reports have even suggested that Sterling could leave Chelsea at the end of the season, departing west London after just one year at the club.
Could forward leave this summer?
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Phillips didn't hold back in his criticism of Sterling, with far more required from the England international:
"He's been poor, very poor. There are no two ways about it. Chelsea fans are getting very frustrated with his performances. When he came in at the start, I will give him credit as he did look good and not many people really complained about the signing at the time.
"For £45 million, it wasn't bad business. An England international, very experienced player, who was coming in from Man City. Obviously, he's been there and he's done it, so bringing a player like that into the squad, it didn't really get frowned upon.
"But right now, Chelsea fans have lost their patience with Sterling."
There is no doubt that Sterling has ultimately been an underwhelming signing to date, considering what a strong career he has had, scoring 131 goals for City and bring a key man for several years, as well as netting 20 times in 82 caps for England.
The hope is that his struggles are in tandem with that of Chelsea's as a team, so selling him soon wouldn't make sense, given his pedigree as a footballer, being hailed as "frightening" by Tony Cascarino last year.
Sterling has to do better between now and the end of this campaign, though, starting against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, when he could win round the doubters if he inspires the Blues to a Champions League comeback.
