Inside story of how Arsenal pulled off shock Raheem Sterling transfer

Arsenal needed a new winger. Raheem Sterling needed a new club. When you consider those simple facts, you would be forgiven for assuming this is a deal that was always destined to happen. Both sides, after all, are getting what they want.

The truth, however, is that Sterling’s move to Arsenal was far from inevitable. Even a few days ago, Arsenal were not expecting to push for the 29-year-old. Asked last week whether he was tempted to give Sterling a call, Mikel Arteta was blunt in his response. “No,” he said, before politely softening his answer with some kind words about his time with Sterling at Manchester City.

At that stage, the finances involved would not have added up for Arsenal. Sterling is older than their usual transfer targets and it was clear that he wanted to leave Chelsea on a permanent basis, rather than on loan. His salary, understood to be more than £300,000 per week, simply did not fit into Arsenal’s wage structure.

Even on Friday morning, just hours before an agreement with Chelsea was reached, there were those inside Arsenal who did not regard a deal as feasible. Over the course of the day, though, the situation began to change. With Chelsea hoping to sign Jadon Sancho from Manchester United, their need to offload Sterling became even more pressing.

Favourable terms

In the end, Telegraph Sport understands, the financial package required to sign Sterling became more affordable than anyone at Arsenal had expected. Sterling’s enthusiasm to join the club — he made it clear that Arsenal was his preference — meant he was willing to move on loan. Arsenal are not paying his full salary, or anything close to it.

For Sterling, there is a long list of reasons why Arsenal are such an attractive destination, both on the pitch and off it. On a tactical level, he already knows the requirements of a system such as Arsenal’s, having played for City for seven years. Arteta was Sterling’s coach for much of that time and played a crucial role in the player’s development.

There are differences in approach between Arteta’s Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s City, but the two teams still share the same fundamental principles. The methodology, training and individual demands will feel familiar to Sterling, even if the surroundings at London Colney do not.

According to Guardiola, it was because of Arteta’s coaching that Sterling turned into a deadly finisher during his time at City. In 2017, Guardiola said of Sterling’s development: “Mikel is working many, many hours and days [with Sterling] after training specifically about the last action on the pitch – that control in the last moment to make the right movement in the final three or four metres. Raheem has wanted to stay there on the training pitch, to improve.”

Low-risk move

Sterling’s knowledge of Arteta — and indeed Arteta’s knowledge of Sterling — makes this a low-risk move for the winger, who is swapping clubs at a time in his career when he cannot afford to take another misstep. Sterling wants to force his way back into the England setup and joining a club like Arsenal should, theoretically at least, help him in that regard. It will certainly help him more than if he had moved to Saudi Arabia.

Off the pitch, the switch to Arsenal allows Sterling to remain in London and, crucially, to not uproot his family. He already knows the likes of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice from England duty, and has previously played with Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jorginho and Kai Havertz at club level.

For many Chelsea supporters, there will be a fear that Sterling could go on to have a similar impact at Arsenal as Jorginho and Havertz, who also moved from Stamford Bridge to the Emirates. Both of those players have become key figures under Arteta, with Jorginho regarded as a leader of the squad, and Havertz now Arsenal’s star striker.

Havertz, especially, has found a level of consistency that was beyond him at Chelsea. If Sterling can quickly do the same, it would say as much about the environment at Chelsea as it does about the strengths of Arsenal.

Sterling arrives in north London with a point to prove and a reputation to restore. His time at Chelsea, evidently, has not unfolded as anyone had expected. But at 29, he still has time on his side. Having been reunited with Arteta, he will look to rediscover the form that once made him one of the most formidable attacking players in the European game.