Massive Chelsea deal agreed with maligned star to sign up for NINE years as Rio names sale ‘crazy’ business

Rio Ferdinand has hit at Chelsea over another summer of transfer madness, having named the single worst piece of business they agreed this summer and after word emerged that an often-maligned Blues star has agreed terms on an extended nine-year contract.

The Blues may have failed in their quest to land Victor Osimhen or their Plan B Ivan Toney on deadline day, but still managed to spend some £219.6m on 12 new signings – almost half of which were shelled out on Pedro Neto (£54m) and the returning Joao Felix (£46.3m). That takes the spending at Stamford Bridge soaring through the £1.2bn barrier ever since Todd Boelhly, Behdad Eghbali and their fellow BlueCo investors bought out Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea stake two years ago.

The Blues have now been left with a ridiculously bloated squad, and while the likes of big names Conor Gallagher, Romelu Lukaku, Raheem Sterling and Trevoh Chalobah all departed, manager Enzo Maresca has still been left with a huge array of stars to pick from which will be almost impossible to keep them all happy.

Not that the new manager intends to and he already has a squad of around 24 stars he intends to work most closely with.

However, the situation still means that many of high-earning stars will be left kicking their heels unless they secure moves elsewhere before deadlines elsewhere around Europe close for business. At the time of writing, moves to Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and Portugal still possible before close of business on Monday, while Turkey’s transfer window remains open until August 13.

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Despite that, there is one piece of business which Ferdinand is convinced that Chelsea will live to regret.

Rio Ferdinand brands Chelsea ‘crazy’ and picks apart one transfer

Indeed, one of the more eye-catching moves to be sealed on deadline day was the loan exit of Sterling to Arsenal, who moves across London after two years with the Blues.

Costing a fee of £47.5m and on a deal running to 2027 and worth £325,000 a week, the writing was on the wall for the player when his agents spoke out against Maresca for excluding the 82-cap England winger from their matchday squad for their Premier League opener against Manchester City two weekends ago.

As a result, so desperate were Chelsea to move Sterling on that they were willing to sanction a loan exit to a side expected to challenge strongly for the Premier League title, even preparing to cover a portion of his wages to get the move over the line.

To that end, TEAMtalk understands that Chelsea are paying around £175,000 of the player’s huge salary, leaving Arsenal to pick up the remaining £150,000 a week.

Sterling will now compete with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard for a place on the wing and adds an extra dimension for an Arsenal squad expected to compete on four fronts.

Discussing the move, Ferdinand feels the switch sums up Chelsea and has branded the Blues ‘crazy’ for allowing such a deal to happen.

“What a mad circus act this was,” Ferdinand told his YouTube channel. “But I’m just pleased and happy that the situation got sorted out for Raheem Sterling and he got a move he wanted.

“The situation wasn’t handled properly – it could’ve been better from Chelsea. But I’m glad he’s gone now.

“It’s a great business by Arsenal. From their perspective, this is a ridiculous bit of business.

“You’re getting an experienced winger who has won four league titles, he knows how to get it done. He’s played for some of the biggest clubs this country has to offer.”

Chelsea agree new bumper nine-year deal with striker

Ferdinand believes Sterling can help Arsenal finally deliver on the trophies front.

“He knows the path to trophies and that is invaluable. How Chelsea have let that out the door I don’t know, it’s crazy,” Ferdinand continued.

“This is a marriage made in heaven for Arsenal. It’s a perfect fit for me. Raheem has something to prove, too.

“I think he will deliver there and I’ll say it again, I think Arsenal will win the league this year and this signing only reinforces that thought. I think he could be that important.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea have reacted to their Osimhem miss by showing their faith to Nicolas Jackson, with the striker being offered a new nine-year deal at Stamford Bridge. His current arrangement still has seven years left to run.

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Jackson has two goals to his name from three games this season, while also hit the back of net 17 times in 44 appearances last term.

However, he is perhaps better known for his profligacy in front of goal, with many feeling he misses much more than he scores.

With Jackson, understandably, happy to agree to the fresh terms, Maresca has now confirmed a new deal is imminent, telling the media after Sunday’s draw with Crystal Palace: “The only thing I know is he’s signing a new contract – I don’t know how many years.

“I’m very happy. Nicolas is doing a fantastic job with us. He scored again. He had more chances but we’re happy with him.”