Arsenal have completed the signing of Raheem Sterling, with the 29-year-old joining the Gunners on loan from Chelsea.
The former Manchester City and Liverpool man had been keen to leave the Blues after being frozen out of the side by Enzo Maresca in recent weeks. With Arsenal in the market for a versatile wide forward, Edu reached an agreement with Chelsea on Friday and Sterling joins on a season-long loan.
football.london understands Arsenal have not paid a loan fee to bring the winger to north London, while there is also no obligation to buy him once the loan ends. The Gunners are also confident that they have got a great deal when it comes to the percentage of his wages that they are paying.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Sterling said of the move. “It’s really exciting. I’m buzzing.
“It’s 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.
“I spoke with Edu and I said that it’s something you can see from the outside, you can see the real togetherness from Mikel’s time here and you see the journey that the boys are on, and you can see the hunger, and I keep saying again, the togetherness is something I’m looking to be a part of.”
Sterling is the fifth major arrival this summer following the permanent signings of Riccardo Calafiori, David Raya and Mikel Merino, while goalkeeper Neto joined from Bournemouth on a season-long loan.
Unlike their other signings this summer, Sterling was more a case of reacting to the market than any long-term plan. “To be fair we never planned really to sign him when we started the transfer window, just to be very transparent,” Edu said of the deal.
“But we always say to everyone that you have to be prepared for every single scenario. It makes a lot of sense to have someone like him because I’m pretty sure he is going to add a lot in the squad. He has experience, he understands more than anyone the league, he’s played in the Champions League many times. He won the Premier League a few times as well, so I think he can add a lot to our squad and I feel really happy to see someone like him in our squad.”
Arteta knows the England international well from his time at Man City and has previously heaped praise on the winger.
