Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling has made a dramatic late move to Premier League rivals Arsenal on transfer deadline day.
The 29-year-old England international has joined Mikel Arteta’s side on a season-long loan.
Sterling was informed that he was not part of the plans of new Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca.
During his time at Stamford Bridge, Sterling made 81 appearances and scored 19 goals after joining from Manchester City for £50 million in July 2022.
The former Liverpool player was among the first signings after the club’s takeover by co-controlling owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly.
Despite making 43 appearances in all competitions last season, Sterling found himself on the fringes of the squad under Maresca this term.
Chelsea’s summer spending spree, which saw the club invest over £200 million on 11 new signings, further limited his opportunities.
After Sterling was left out of Chelsea’s Premier League opener against his former club Manchester City, his representatives sought clarity regarding his future at the club.
Although Sterling was initially linked with a move to Manchester United, the possibility of a switch to Arsenal emerged late in the transfer window.
Sterling reunites with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, who was a coach at Manchester City during Sterling’s time there.
The forward has been capped 82 times by England and was a key figure in the national team that finished as runners-up at Euro 2020.
However, Sterling has not featured for England since December 2022 at the World Cup in Qatar, where he had to leave the tournament early to attend to a family emergency.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s really exciting,” Sterling said of his switch.
“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 linne.”
“I spoke with [sporting director] Edu and I said you can see the real togetherness from Mikel’s time here and you see the journey the boys are on,” he added.
“You can see the hunger, and I keep saying again, the togetherness is something I’m looking to be a part of.”
Mikel Arteta: “We know the qualities he has. It is a bigger step-up for us, we have brought a top talent who has a loads of experience, hopefully he impacts the team in a good way.
“Man City? He was playing under a great manager with great players around him – if you do that he will cause so many issues to a team.”
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