Raheem Sterling’s move to Arsenal was one of the more surprising moves in this summer’s transfer window.
It had been clear for a while that Chelsea were keen to get rid of him somehow, but it just didn’t seem possible they’re find anyone willing to pay a solid transfer fee, let alone his monster wages.
But in the end a late loan deal to Arsenal was agreed and on Deadline Day Sterling departed, with Jadon Sancho coming in to replace him. It apparently required Sterling to agree to a wage reduction, with Chelsea also paying a chunk.
A couple of months later and Blues supporters are more concerned with Sancho’s fortunes than Sterling’s – but they would do well to remember that the winger is only on loan, and much like with Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga in the past, the thorn will return to the side of our sporting directors the moment we reach the end of the season.
Arsenal trending away from making Sterling signing permanent
In their dream world, Arsenal would sign up to make the deal permanent at the end of the year. So in a strange way, they will be wishing him to do really well there, even at the cost of them briefly looking like they’ve made a bad decision.
Sadly, it’s not looking great on that front. CaughtOffside’s exclusive with Arsenal correspondent Charlie Watts reveals that it’s not looking likely Sterling stays beyond this season, after not featuring much so far:
“That’s not to say that they won’t dip into the market. If the right opportunity arises then I’m sure they will go for it, but it’s still more likely they wait until the summer to spend big money.
“That’s not to say that they won’t dip into the market. If the right opportunity arises then I’m sure they will go for it, but it’s still more likely they wait until the summer to spend big money… They have Raheem Sterling right now, but it’s tough to see that loan being made permanent come the end of the campaign.”