Raheem Sterling joins Arsenal on season-long loan deal after Chelsea exile

LONDON: Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling joined local rival Arsenal on a season-long loan deal after a deal sheet was submitted to allow the English winger's move to go through beyond the transfer deadline.

The Premier League summer transfer window closed on Friday, August 30. But clubs still had two additional hours to complete deals if they had submitted a deal sheet before the 11 pm BST deadline.

The deal sheet is documentation that confirms a deal for a player has been reached before the deadline but requires additional time to be concluded. The club released a statement to confirm the arrival of the 29-year-old winger at the Emirates Stadium, "Raheem Sterling has joined us on a season-long loan from Chelsea. Everyone at Arsenal welcomes Raheem to the club.

The transfer is subject to the completion of regulatory processes." After featuring for Chelsea in every pre-season game, Sterling was surprisingly axed from the squad by head coach Enzo Maresca for their Premier League season opener clash against defending champions Manchester City.

During the pre-season tour, Maresca stated that Sterling was one of their "most important players". However, things took an unexpected turn after the beginning of the season, with the Italian manager publically admitting that he preferred a "different kind of winger". After being left out of Chelsea's squad in their 2-0 defeat in the season opener against Manchester City, Sterling continued to remain on the sidelines. He didn't feature in any of their three match-day squads in the ongoing season before finalising the move.

The English winger was one of the noteworthy signings in the early phase of Chelsea's owner Todd Boehly's era. He arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2022 after lifting a Premier League title with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. Sterling has won every domestic accolade, featuring four Premier League titles and five Football League Cups.

In the top-flight league, Sterling has made 379 appearances, netting 123 goals and assisting 63 times. His individual honours include being named FWA Footballer of the Year in 2018/19, and he was voted into the PFA's Team of the Year at the end of the same season.

Sterling will link up with Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, with whom he has previously worked during their time at Manchester City. Ahead of Arsenal's 1-0 win at Aston Villa last week, Arteta expressed his love for the dynamic English winger and said, as quoted from Sky Sports, "My time with Raheem was exceptional. We built a really strong relationship together. He was unbelievable at that time."

"He taught me a lot as well, about individuals, how the players think, how we help them and support them. He is someone I have really strong feelings about," he added. In the international circuit, Raheem has earned 82 caps for England. Only 16 players have made more appearances for the men's team. He was a crucial cog for the Three Lions as they finished runners-up at Euro 2020.