In all honesty, Raheem Sterling wasn’t a name I expected to see at Arsenal at the end of the summer transfer window, but I am very elated we got the deal over the line. It was surprising at best, and the financials were awesome – Chelsea are reportedly paying £225,000 of his £325,000 while Arsenal handles £100,000.

Sterling is a seasoned veteran that has featured for 15 seasons for the top clubs in the Premier League, scoring 173 goals in 549 games for Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, and the trophy haul is great, winning four Premier League titles, one FA Cup, five League Cups and one Community Shield.

Moving to Arsenal gives Sterling the chance to rekindle his relationship with Mikel Arteta, who he worked with in his time at Manchester City. Sterling was at his prolific best at the Etihad, especially in the three season spell between 2017 and 2019 where he scored 23, 25 and 31 goals respectively. I don’t expect him to hit these numbers at Arsenal as he probably wouldn’t get the game time to match the corresponding goals. In the three campaigns in question, Sterling started 46, 51 and 52 games.

He moved away from Manchester City to be some a key figurehead and started very well for Mauricio Pochettino, but things derailed for him and even got worse under new gaffer, Enzo Maresca, that made it very clear that Sterling was not going to be in his plans this season. To add insult to injury, Sterling saw his No. 7 jersey stripped off him and handed over to Pedro Neto, while he was still at the club. Moving over from Chelsea to Arsenal offered Sterling a different dressing room vibe, which will certainly be a far cry from what he was used to.

Another part of the Sterling deal I love is the fact that he’s hungry to prove himself, even though his records speak for himself, and he offers a quality option in attack for Arsenal. He sounded so motivated in his press conference, speaking of the desire at Arsenal and how they have been pushing for a Premier League triumph, which spurs him on to become better. He also offers a great backup option to Bukayo Saka and is also very adept on the other flank.

He has taken the Number. 30 jersey, which seems like an odd choice, especially with No. 10 available after Emile Smith Rowe departed.

I wish him the best and I hope his attacking returns come through.

Sayonara.

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