Arsenal pounce on rivals Chelsea to sign Raheem Sterling on loan and reunite him with Mikel Arteta on final matchday
Arsenal have pulled off a major coup by completing a deal to sign Raheem Sterling.
The striker moves to North London on a season-long loan deal, where he will reunite with Mikel Arteta.
Sterling famously played for Manchester City at the same time that Arteta was working as an assistant to coach Pep Guardiola.
The England international even contributed 53 goals in all competitions in his final season playing under Arteta, a figure he would love to reach again.
It is understood that the Gunners will contribute half of the 29-year-old's salary during his time at the Emirates.
He could now make his debut in the north London derby against Tottenham after the international break, with City to follow the following week.
In a video shared by Arsenal the unknownSterling said: “People like to talk, don't they? So do I.
“And I'll tell you this: you're about to see the best of me.”
Arsenal sporting director Edu has admitted Sterling was not on the club's shortlist this summer but has jumped at the chance to bring him to north London.
He commented: “Well, to be fair, we never planned to sign him when we started the transfer window, just to be very transparent. For different reasons.
“But we always tell everyone that you have to be prepared for any scenario. So when that opportunity came up, I looked at the squad, watched how they play and, of course, spoke to Mikel.
“I spoke to Tim (Lewis), our vice president, to see if everyone is comfortable with the step we're taking, and it makes a lot of sense.
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“Yes, it makes a lot of sense to have someone like him because I'm pretty sure he will bring a lot to the team.
“He has experience, he understands the League more than anyone, he has played in the Champions League many times.
“He also won the Premier League several times, so I think he can bring a lot to our team and I am very happy to see someone like him in our team.”
The writing has been on the wall for Pound sterling at Stamford Bridge for a few weeks now.
The winger was exiled from Enzo Maresca's first team, stripped of his squadron number and they told him that he would not appear in that term.
As a result, Sterling has been the subject of intense transfer speculation with Manchester United Also linked to a player's movement.
Since I joined Chelsea In 2022, Sterling scored 19 goals in 81 appearances for the Blues.
But after racking up 204 goal involvements in 339 games for City, the 29-year-old will be desperate to revive his career.
It proved to be a busy day for Arsenal, who also signed goalkeeper Neto from Bournemouth on loan.
Meanwhile, the Gunners have moved three players, with Aaron Ramsdale joining Southampton in a deal worth up to £25m.
Meanwhile, Hale End graduate Eddie Nketiah has been sold to Crystal Palace in a transfer worth £25million.
And Reiss Nelson has joined Fulham on loan to rejoin Arsenal team-mates Emile Smith Rowe and Alex Iwobi at Craven Cottage.
