Arsenal sporting director Edu has confirmed the club never planned to sign Raheem Sterling at the start of the transfer window - but has backed him to be a hit in north London.

Sterling joined Arsenal on loan from London rivals Chelsea late on transfer deadline day in a dramatic move.

The winger had been frozen out by new Blues boss Enzo Maresca this summer, but he has now been handed a lifeline by Arsenal.

The Gunners swooped very late for Sterling, sealing a move in the final hours of the window, and Edu has admitted it was not in their original plan to sign the 29-year-old.

“Well to be fair we never planned really to sign him when we started the transfer window, just to be very transparent. For different reasons,” he said.

“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 [Arteta] 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.

“Yes, 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.

“It’s the last day, the last minutes, so (it’s been) a long day, a long transfer window but in the end I think we as a club have to be proud once again. The way we are working together, the way we did all the deals.”