After the confirmation of Reiss Nelson’s departure, the Gunners are set to sign Raheem Sterling on a 1 year loan deal from Chelsea. Arsenal always wanted to sign a new forward and Nelson’s loan move to Fulham have solidified their decision.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca have already confirmed that Sterling is not a part of his plans, and he is free to leave the Stamford Bridge. The Blues have already left Sterling out of their opening matchday squads in the Premier League. Since then he has been training away from the first team.
The 29 year old English winger was linked with Juventus and Manchester United but the European giants failed to carry on the negotiations. Sterling did receive some offers from Saudi and Qatar. He never considered them as he always wanted to stay in Europe.
Sterling’s camp grew frustrated as the deadline day was reaching and no serious talks with any club was taking place. On the other hand Arsenal had never planned on signing Sterling but negotiations between the two clubs gained pace in the final hours of the window.
The deal includes no fee but also no option to buy. Sterling will be paid £100k by Arsenal, which is around 33% of his original wages.
The Gunners saw a good opportunity in signing the experienced winger to increase depth in their squad. This signing will also be beneficial for Sterling as he can stay in Europe to fight for the Three Lions cap.
Is Sterling a good fit for the Gunners?
Sterling joined Chelsea from Man City in 2022 for a fee of £47.5m. He couldn’t meet his potential while playing for the Blues as he did for City. The English winger only managed to score 18 goals & provided 8 assists in 81 appearances for the West London club.
Throughout his career, Sterling has been a very flexible player. He has shown his ability to adapt with different types of game plans according to his manager’s needs. He was a direct dribbling threat during his starting years at Liverpool before improving his positional awareness under Pep Guardiola in City.
According to The Athletic reports, Sterling has been the most successful player in winning penalties in the Premier League. He has won 23 penalties in the last 10 seasons. His sharpness in the box due to his agile nature draws defenders towards him to commit fouls.
Sterling’s ball receiving, first touches, space creating, progressive passes, game intelligence are still on top level. He also has an excellent work rate, contributing to defensive duties in a 4-4-2 system.
Sterling’s move to North London will reunite him with his ex-assistant coach Mikel Arteta. The most productive seasons of Sterling came under Arteta’s stay at City where he bagged 55 league goals from 2018 to 2020. Majority of those goals came from attacking the back post and converting cutbacks, a crucial element of Arteta’s strategy.
Arsenal created the most chances from cutbacks (91) in the Premier League last season. So, Arteta would want that version of Sterling from City to use his tactics.
Sterling’s arrival would also strengthen Arsenal’s overall attacking threat. Most probably he would come from bench as the replacement of Martinelli in the left flank. This would benefit the team as Trossard the current replacement of Martinelli in the left can switch with Havertz as a number nine.
Management and Player’s point of view
The main man behind this late transfer is Arsenal director, Edu Gaspar. Edu managed to arrange all the paper works and agreements to finalize the deal in the last hours. He stated,
“It makes a lot of sense to have someone like Raheem. He has experience, he understands the league more than anyone and he’s played in the Champions League many times…so we really needed that.”
Arteta’s statement regarding the arrival of Sterling follows,
“We all know Raheem’s qualities; he is a top talent with a lot of experience who can help the team in a big way.”
Sterling is really excited to play in the Emirates as he stated,
“Trust me. You’re about to see the best of me.”
“Joining Arsenal is really an unbelievable feeling. I’m buzzing. I’m repeating this is perfect fit for me!”
Sterling had a very average season with Chelsea in 2023-24. His contract with Chelsea ends in 2025 and the loan deal does not include any buy clause for Arsenal. So, his performance with the Gunners this season will play a key factor for the Englishman’s future whether he will stay in Europe or not.
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