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On Friday, August 30, Arsenal signed Raheem Sterling from Chelsea on a season-long loan in a move on the transfer deadline day. The 29-year-old wasn’t in the plans of the new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who preferred a different kind of winger to him in his team, which is why his move to North London went through.
Notably, Raheem Sterling made 81 appearances for Chelsea in his first two seasons at the club after joining them from Manchester City on a £50 million deal under Todd Boehly’s ownership. He scored 19 goals during the two years at the club before leaving them on loan for Arsenal.
Raheem Sterling was quoted as saying about his move to Arsenal, per BBC Sport, “It's an unbelievable feeling. It's really exciting. It [the move] is one where we kind of left it late, but it's one I was hoping for. Looking at everything, I'm just, like, 'this is a perfect fit for me', and I'm super happy that we got it over the line.”
The move will reunite Raheem Sterling with Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, with whom he worked alongside, during his time at Manchester City. During his seven-year spell at the Manchester club, Mikel Arteta was an assistant to manager Pep Guardiola for most of that timeframe.
Edu, the sporting director of Arsenal, said, “To be here on the last day of the transfer window, to get someone like Raheem Sterling, which I believe will be someone very important for the squad, who is going to give a lot to the team, it's a pleasure.”
