Edu explains why Arsenal made signing they ‘never planned’ as Raheem Sterling breaks silence on arrival

Arsenal sporting director Edu has admitted that the signing of Raheem Sterling was improvisational – but he believes the Chelsea loanee has lots of assets that will make him a useful addition to Mikel Arteta’s squad.

Sterling became Arsenal’s last signing of the summer on deadline day by completing a season-long loan move from Chelsea, where he had been threatened with the risk of being excluded entirely from first-team involvement by Enzo Maresca.

Although Sterling was open to joining Manchester United earlier this month, Arsenal soon became his only option to leave Chelsea and all parties eventually agreed on a deal before the deadline.

Reflecting on a transfer window in which Arsenal also signed Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino and Neto – as well as making David Raya’s move permanent – Edu has admitted that Sterling was not someone they were targeting at the outset of the market.

Edu told www.arsenal.com: “To be fair we never planned really to sign him when we started the transfer window, just to be very transparent, for different reasons.

“But we always say to everyone that you have to be prepared for every single scenario. So when that opportunity came to me, and I checked the squad, I checked how he plays, and spoke to Mikel of course. I spoke to Tim [Lewis], our vice-chairman, to check if everyone is comfortable for the step we are going to take, and it makes a lot of sense.

“It makes a lot of sense to have someone like him because I’m pretty sure he is going to add a lot in the squad. He has experience, he understands more than anyone the league, he’s played in the Champions League many times.

“He won the Premier League a few times as well, so I think he can add a lot to our squad and I feel really happy to see someone like him in our squad.”

Sterling ready to show his best for Arsenal

Sterling, 29, previously won four Premier League titles with Manchester City, who he joined from Liverpool in 2015 and where he worked with Mikel Arteta for a few years. He scored 19 goals from 81 appearances for Chelsea, but believes there is more to come at the Emirates Stadium.

After declaring “you’re about to see the best of me” in his announcement video, the winger said: “Joining Arsenal is really an unbelievable feeling. I’m buzzing.

“This is a perfect fit for me. You see the journey the boys are on, and the hunger, and I keep saying again, the togetherness is something I’m looking to be part of.”

Sterling adds to an Arsenal attack that also contains Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard on the wings, and Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz up front.

On deadline day, Arsenal also sold Eddie Nketiah to Crystal Palace and sent Reiss Nelson on a straight loan to Fulham – the same club that signed Emile Smith Rowe from them earlier in the summer – to make room in their attack.

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