England winger Raheem Sterling has completed a surprising transfer to Dutch giants Feyenoord netherlands”, managed by Robin van Persie, the club confirmed on Thursday.

The 31-year-old joins Feyenoord on a deal running until the end of the 2025/26 season. Sterling had been released by Chelsea on January 28 after failing to make a single appearance for the Blues this season.

“As a free agent, I’ve had, for the first time in a long time, the opportunity to control the next step in my career,” Sterling said on Feyenoord’s website.

“I wanted to take my time to speak with clubs and their head coaches to better understand the role they envisioned for me and ensure that I can add real value in this next chapter. Having spoken in great detail with CEO Dennis te Kloese and Robin van Persie, I’m confident that Feyenoord is a place I can be happy and establish myself as a valued member of the team.”

Feyenoord have struggled since late October, winning just six of their last 19 matches across all competitions. Despite the recent form dip, they remain second in the Eredivisie, 17 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven.

“Playing abroad is a whole new challenge for me — and one I’m ready to embrace. Honestly, I’m just excited to get started. To Feyenoord, and particularly Robin and Dennis, thank you for your patience and professionalism as I navigated this process,” Sterling added.

Van Persie expressed his excitement at Sterling’s arrival, praising the 82-time England international.

“Naturally, it’s a fantastic feat that we’ve managed to convince a player of Raheem’s calibre to sign with us. His football résumé speaks for itself: he’s a player whose qualities can change the outcome of a game without a doubt, and I am convinced he will turn out to be a valuable addition to the team as we work towards achieving our goals in the second half of this season.”

Sterling spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Arsenal, making 28 appearances across all competitions. Upon returning to Chelsea, he was placed in the so-called ‘Bomb Squad,’ a group of players frozen out of first-team activities and allowed to leave the club.

Reports suggest that Eredivisie rivals Ajax were also interested in signing Sterling but were beaten to his signature by their Rotterdam rivals.

Sterling departs the Premier League 14 years after making his debut for Liverpool in 2012. During his time in England, he scored 123 goals in 396 Premier League appearances.