Deadline Day: Arsenal seal late move for Sterling as Sancho moves to Chelsea
Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling has completed a late transfer deadline day loan move to Premier League rivals Arsenal.
The 29-year-old has agreed a season-long loan with Mikel Arteta’s side.
The England international had been told he was not in the plans of new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s really exciting,” Sterling said of his move.
“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.”
Sterling has made 81 appearances for Chelsea and scored 19 goals since joining from Manchester City for £50m in July 2022.
The former Liverpool player was one of the first to arrive at Stamford Bridge following the takeover by co-controlling owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly.
However, after making 43 appearances in all competitions for the club last season, he was out of the first-team picture under Maresca.
It came after Chelsea had spent more than £200m on 11 signings this summer.
After Sterling was not involved in the Premier League opener against Manchester City, his representatives sought clarity over his future.
The forward had been linked with a move to Manchester United but the possibility of the switch to Arsenal emerged late in the window.
The move sees him link up again with Arteta, who was a coach at Manchester City when Sterling was there.
“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.”
Sterling has been capped 82 times by England and was a key player for his country as they finished runners-up at Euro 2020.
However, he has not played for his country since December 2022.
SANCHO
Chelsea have signed Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho on loan until the end of the season.
The deal includes an obligation for Chelsea to sign the England international, 24, for between £20-25m next summer.
Sancho joined United in a £73m deal from German club Borussia Dortmund in July 2021 but has had a difficult time at Old Trafford.
He made 83 appearances across the three full seasons but had a high-profile falling out with manager Erik ten Hag which led to him training away from the first team.
Having re-joined Dortmund on loan in January, he returned to United in the summer and has not been in the squad for either of their Premier League games so far.
The last of his 23 England caps came back in 2021, having been overlooked for Euro 2024 and the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.