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Ex-Chelsea right-back Mario Melchiot has slammed Blues fans for booing Raheem Sterling in their 4-2 FA Cup quarter-final win over Leicester City on Sunday (March 17).
Sterling, who left Manchester City in a potential £50 million move in 2022, received flak for his error-prone display against the Foxes. The 29-year-old failed to score a penalty, skied a free-kick chance, and placed his shot off target during a solo run in the FA Cup clash.
Despite his 45th-minute assist to Cole Palmer's goal against Leicester, much of the Stamford Bridge faithful booed Sterling for his below-par outing. However, Melchiot has recently jumped to the winger's defence.
Speaking on ESPN, Melchiot empathized with the Chelsea forward's situation after Sunday's display in front of his fans. He said (h/t HITC):
"At this point, I am not going to lie about it... yes, he isn't in a good place. He isn't performing as you know. The things that he is doing – then you saw the other part, he had a one-v-one with the keeper and he should have scored. You could see his frustration. You could see it was building up."
Melchiot, who represented Chelsea 164 times in his career, continued:
"I am talking from experience, when you boo a player, I want people to understand it goes really deep in us. The feeling of like almost cutting us open. It really hurts us emotionally. You never forget when people do you bad, that's why I will support it and say, 'No, I don't like it'."
So far this season, Sterling has scored eight goals and contributed 10 assists in 36 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea.
Chelsea not in talks to snap up Aston Villa's Jhon Duran in future, says famed journalist
In his column for the Caught Offside, transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano suggested that the Blues are not keen to reignite their transfer interest in Aston Villa star Jhon Duran. He wrote:
"Jhon Duran was another name linked with Chelsea back in January, but the move was never close. At the moment, I'm not aware of concrete contacts, he's just one of many players they considered and discussed but it never led to a proper negotiation with Villa. He's fully focussed on Villa now, no one else."
Duran, who joined Aston Villa in a potential £18 million deal from Chicago Fire last January, has impressed in a bench role this campaign. The 20-year-old Colombian has scored five goals and provided one assist in just 761 minutes of action, spread across 25 matches.
Mauricio Pochettino's side, on the other hand, have allegedly set their eyes on the likes of Victor Osimhen, Viktor Gyokeres, and Ivan Toney. Despite signing Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku last summer, they are keen to break the bank for a top striker this year.
