Jamie Carragher is a 'knob': What the Liverpool legend did to offend Raheem Sterling's agent

Aidy Ward hit out at the former Reds captain as he revealed no amount of money can keep his client at Anfield

Simon Rice
Thursday 21 May 2015 08:14 EDT
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Aidy Ward, the agent of Raheem Sterling, didn't hold back when discussing his client's future earlier today.

He said Sterling would want to leave Liverpool even if they offered £900,000-a-week and that he didn't "care about the PR of the club and the club situation".

Ward explained: “My job is to make sure I do the best with them (my clients). If people say I am bad at my job, or they are badly advised it does not matter.”

However Sterling's 34-year-old agent saved his strongest words for Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool captain who retired in 2013.

“Carragher is a knob. Everybody knows it," he said. "Any of the criticism from current pundits or ex-Liverpool players - none of them things matter to me. It is not relevant.”

Carragher is among Liverpool's most respected former players having made over 700 appearances for the club and been an integral member of teams that won two FA Cups, three League Cups, the Uefa Cup and lifted the Champions League in 2005.

Jamie Carragher kisses the Champions League trophy alongside Steven Gerrard after the 2005 final
Jamie Carragher kisses the Champions League trophy alongside Steven Gerrard after the 2005 final (GETTY IMAGES)

Publicly calling Carragher out will be seen as a shocking move - so what led Ward to do it?

Carragher has been one of the most vocal critics of Sterling's apparent desire to leave Liverpool, only on Monday expressing his views on the matter.

“For a 20-year-old kid to be taking on Liverpool Football Club over a contract. To the pit of my stomach that just winds me up, it angers me,” Carragher said on Sky’s Monday Night Football.

“The lad is from London and he obviously wants to go back home. It might not be about money. It may be about trophies or playing in the Champions League. If it’s about trophies, Liverpool had a chance for a trophy this year, in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley against Aston Villa. Where was Sterling? If you want trophies, they don’t get given to you, you have to earn them, you have to play well in big games. What did Liverpool do in the Champions League? Nothing. What did Sterling do? Nothing.

“To do what he’s done now. There’s nothing worse than that. You keep your mouth shut - get on with playing football.”

Back in March, Carragher suggested Sterling's advisers had led themselves to be cast in a "bad light".

“The fans' frustration comes from his contract situation,” he said.

“The longer it continues the more frustration there will be and it paints him and his advisors in a bad light.

“We all like to maximise what we can earn in any industry but his standoff won’t help his relationship with the fans.”

Jamie Carragher while working as a pundit this season
Jamie Carragher while working as a pundit this season (GETTY IMAGES)

In April, Carragher wrote a strongly worded column for the Daily Mail in which he outlined why Sterling had got the situation "badly wrong".

In relation to Sterling hinting at a possible move to Arsenal, Carragher wrote: "First, he was desperately naive to say such a thing on the eve of such a crucial game. He is also naive, as are his advisers, if he thinks Arsenal would guarantee him a regular place every week. What Sterling’s camp are struggling to see is that Liverpool is the best place for him. Forget money for a minute."

In relation to Sterling giving an interview to the BBC, Carragher said: "This, more than anything, is my biggest problem with Sterling and his agent. For a 20-year-old and his agent to be taking on Liverpool FC in the public domain is a disgrace. I have no issue about players maximising their earning potential but the agenda that is being driven from Sterling’s camp is beyond a joke."

Ward and Sterling are expected to meet with Liverpool officials tomorrow to outline their position.

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