Whilst the constant reminders seemingly have little actual effect on the world of football as we know it today – let’s face it – there is simply too much money in the game these days, and it, arguably, can’t go on like this forever.

Within the Premier League in particular teams from top to bottom continuously get the chequebook out with every passing summer, often investing far more than the season before, yet failing to dramatically improve up the table as a result of their increasingly frivolous spending.

Subsequently, young English players with supposedly bright futures ahead of them invariably get bought for ridiculous prices, and often fall short of their lofty expectations thanks to the widespread hype and hysteria that surrounded their initial progress.

So then, with Raheem Sterling having sealed his hefty £49m switch to Manchester City, what does the Liverpool man’s transfer represent for the sport in general?

Does it simply provide the Premier League with nothing more than just a fair bit of controversy for the next few months or so, or do such deals in-fact indicate far worse consequences for the English game and the precarious direction that it currently seems to be heading in?

Before such a discussion can truly get underway, however, it must first be said that Raheem Sterling himself is ultimately not the one to blame in this situation. The 20-year-old England international has every right to make his own decisions about his own career path – no matter how poorly received they may be among the Anfield faithful, as well as the rest of the English footballing community in general.

Having said that, though, if this move eventually gets completed, the name ‘Raheem Sterling’ may never cease to detach itself from the unwanted notions of greed and disloyalty that currently surround the youngster’s proposed move to the Etihad.

If any player wishes to reportedly turn down a £100,000 a week contract with a club like Liverpool – one of the few successful sides to distinctly root themselves into the footballing fabric of this country throughout the years – and potentially double his wages at a newly developed outfit such as Manchester City – a team who in all honesty, would be widely forgotten about if it wasn’t for the much publicised external investment – then can Sterling himself really blame anyone for questioning his integrity in the modern era?

Manchester City, whilst their traditionally loyal fan-base is of course not to blame for such an outcome, represent everything that is wrong with English football in today’s game. Like Chelsea before them, Manuel Pellegrini’s star-studded outfit have bought their success in recent years, and completely failed to establish any true identity or purpose to their cause in the process.

Former would-be English talents in the past have opted to join up with the Citizens, only to see their once promising careers plummet as a result of their lack of game time at the Etihad. The likes of Wayne Bridge, Adam Johnson, Scott Sinclair and Jack Rodwell have all paid witness to such an outcome since Manchester City hit the jackpot, and although Raheem Sterling is rated considerably highly than such stars, his future in Manchester could equally go the same way if things don’t immediately play out to plan.

Such unsustainable transfer activity simply doesn’t happen as much throughout the rest of Europe. We have now come to a stage in this country where young, up and coming talents who have simply achieved very little in the modern era, are somehow worth staggering amounts based on pure potential alone, and can be set up for life on the back of bumper contracts from clubs with more money than sense.

Raheem Sterling no longer has to fight for his lofty reputation or illustrious place in the Premier League despite not having fully proved himself for a sustained period of time. He doesn’t even have to improve at the highest level or battle tooth and nail for a place in Roy Hodgson’s national squad – for this latest proposed move will have all but confirmed his status one way or another.

As the English the national team is becoming increasingly desperate for the next big star to lift them out of international obscurity, with the money continuing to flow behind the scenes in order to finance such an attitude – the combination of such factors invariably show that football in this country is sadly falling downhill.

Raheem Sterling’s move is just the latest in a long line to highlight such an alarming trend and the overall direction English football is sadly heading in.