Arsenal and Chelsea are holding talks over a possible season-long loan move for Raheem Sterling.
The England international was told last week that he doesn’t have a future at Stamford Bridge and is searching for a temporary solution having been told to train separately from Enzo Maresca’s first team squad.
The Athletic claim the Gunners will not have an issue agreeing personal terms with the player who is keen on moving to the Emirates.
Sterling joined Chelsea for £50 million two summers ago from Manchester City. He’s since played 81 games for the Blues scoring 19 goals and making 12 assists.
🚨💣 Arsenal are in talks with Chelsea to sign Raheem Sterling on a season-long loan.
Experienced forward who can add quality across the front line. #AFC is hugely attractive move for 29-yr-old.@gunnerblog + @David_Ornstein for @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/NjPWodBMeb
— gunnerblog (@gunnerblog) August 30, 2024
Sterling and Mikel Arteta worked closely together at Manchester City and the Spaniard had warm words for his former charge when he was asked about the player this time last week.
He said: “My time with him was exceptional. I think we built a really strong relationship together. He was unbelievable at the time we worked together and he taught me a lot as well about individuals and how players think, how we give them support and help them. He’s someone that I really have strong feelings about.”
It’s thought a deal for Sterling could see Reiss Nelson depart this evening. Sky Sports claim four clubs have expressed an interest in taking the winger off Arsenal’s hands for the year.
The Gunners are yet to confirm a deal for Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto and are also waiting for Eddie Nketiah’s transfer to Crystal Palace to go through.
It’s shaping up to be a busy few hours.
Four clubs trying to do a late loan deal for Arsenal forward Reiss Nelson. #AFC
— Dharmesh Sheth (@skysports_sheth) August 30, 2024
Hmm, it does kind of make sense. Good relationship with Arteta, and gives depth in the area that it’s needed. Wasn’t my first choice at the start of the transfer window…….
It makes total sense to me. This is what I’ve been hoping for. Especially if it screws Chelsea some how.
Keep the ammo dry for a more permanent signing next season (i.e., Willaims, Gordon et al.).
I’m all in for this. Sterling is a quality player and he’s not coming in to step on anyone’s toes – and we NEED the cover and as much as we all love Nelson, Sterling is levels up from him…
Indeed! We get the quality cover, and Nelson can hopefully spike his value at another club in the meantime and get the necessary minutes.
Edu’s played a blinder if this comes through – a staring match for the ages. I would’ve been happy with it even at the start of the window. But of course Chelsea think they are transfer market wizards when they’re actually the sugar-high kid running amok in the supermarket. Their points deduction is coming, no question.
He’s a very good player, some people won’t acknowledge how good because he’s a mercenary. But this has been a mercenary league for a while now – I’d rather we benefit from it than all the times we’ve been burned by it.
Yeah with what was realistic to get done this makes the most sense. Fairly low risk, and I think we’ll see a different Sterling than we did at City.
One of the English players, I willingly have a lot of respect for (Kane, cough, cough). I think, Coman is a little bit sharper though.
Coman is a domestic abuser though, so fuck that guy
My understanding is that it was seven years ago and that he acknowledged it. That’s not to excuse it or make light of it, but if there have been no problems since (which I don’t know) then I think he deserves another chance. I feel that, like any other criminal behaviour (whether it’s technically a “crime” or not), a single bad action need not mark a person forever. If there’s a further history, then it’s different. I also respect your view if you disagree about this.
No, he’s a wrongun. What part of being a gooner do you not understand?
I liked the idea of Coman also, but I saw blogs mentioning character issues with Coman. I didn’t know about those (I’ve heard and read he was a good pro at Bayern).
When you look at the Champions League fixtures and realise we should be winning domestic cups then it’s a no brainer…I could easily see him alternate with saka when we play twice weekly… You’ll be surprised at the version of sterling we’ll get! Chelsea messes up talent..you only need to look at Kai havertz and mason mount…even Lukaku flourishes outside that stadium 😀
I agree. I expect him to come with that “y’all must have forgot ” energy.
He’s not won the Champions League (lost to Kai). We’ve not won the Champions League. Let’s go win the Champions League.
I get the logic, but I have long decried Sterling’s diving and he strikes me as a mercenary. But there’s no doubt his has in his prime had the quickest of feet and has been a top player. If it goes through I hope he does well for us.
A mercenary for trophies more than money id say.
A consistent top top quality performer for club & country till he signed for them.
No settling in period needed, and Saka will finally get some rest. Arteta didn’t trust Rhys or Fabio, he will trust Raheem though.
Honestly, I’m extremely disappointed by this news. I thought we were past signing Chelsea has-beens. Not a chance I’d ever pick Sterling ahead of Saka, Trossard or Martinelli and I can’t see him accepting sitting on the bench.
It’s either that or he doesn’t play at all at Chelsea. I think he wants out.
Yeah, it’s been a pretty spectacular fall from the grace at Chelsea. Credit to him for trying to get the hell out instead of just picking up his monstrous wages. Better to play a little than not at all.
I think he’s the same guy: ultra quick first step, really good shot taker and shot maker. Lethal with short runs, which is something we need more of: I was still impressed with his burst last season. He started really well in a dysfunctional team, then was discarded for new shiny toys. Arteta revived his career at City and can do so again now.
Everything Chelsea touch turns to 💩, even really good players as we’ve seen with Kai and Jorgi. Get the player out of the 💩, a quick shower to wash off any remaining stench and you might still have the same talent Chelsea spent whatever crazy amount to buy to begin with.
Worth remembering as well that those Chelsea ‘has beens’ that you reference have played better since moving to Arsenal than anyone in the Chelsea squad except for Palmer. Jorginho was a really smart bit of business and Havertz has been excellent as well. Willian I’ll ignore for the sake of my argument.
Fair, I had somehow forgotten Havertz and Jorginho were also from Chelsea, they’ve been good signings though I sniffed at each at the time. Sterling feels like Willian 2.0 to me, though. Not happy with it.
He’s more of a Man City has-been, and a Chelsea never-was.
Personally, I think we’ll get the Man City version. Chelsea isn’t even a real football club anymore. i think even a prime Henry would be fail there.
I’m pretty happy with Havertz and Jorginho, as far as Chelsea has-beens go.
Call me crazy, but I prefer Nelson over Sterling any day, such a fraud of a footballer
Really? Have you had a look at their careers? I quite like Reiss actually, but Sterling is clearly in a different league. Not sure how he is a ‘fraud’….?
Fraud how?
I’m not a fan of this move for a number of reasons but I find it odd to think he’s not been an excellent winger.
Ok, I may have some extra hate for him, but here are the reasons why I think that: a) He constantly tries to dive b) He is always selfish as hell (some of the reasons why he has good g/a numbers) c) His decision making is awful and annoying and more arguments from Reiss perspective a) he is only 24 b) he is Arsenal though and through c) he is not selfish, and has been on the bench without complaining even when some times he deserved to play d) he has shown a lot of quality when called upon last… Read more »
It’s not like taking Sterling on loan means that Nelson will be taken out back and shot. He either will be loaned out, which might help him accelerate his progress as a footballer, or stay put and have to fight for playing time. he can still develop as a Gunner, in other words.
It’s better for Nelson to go and play regular minutes. He can’t develop by having cameos.
Looks like this is happening now so I hope for arsenals sake he finds some form.
The biggest black cloud for me though is we’ll be helping Chelsea out of another fucking hole.
Can’t everyone just agree not to take any players off them? They’d be bankrupt in a year.
Haha I like your logic but we got a prem to win and raheem is an experienced winner. Let’s focus on us and fuck the west London waste men.
I love Reiss too and I still think there’s a quality player in there, maybe even Arsenal level if he was shown a bit of faith. The problem is MA doesn’t trust him. He’s in same boat as Emile, will be painful to see him go but it’s the best thing for all parties. In a perfect world I agree I’d give him an honest chance at game time for one more season.
He trusted Reiss enough to extend his fkn contract 12 months ago and stick him on a 6 figure weekly wage! Our squad management is knee jerk as fck recently and smacks of “we don’t really know what we’re doing anymore”…
Ok…you cray man!
He must be the most convincing fraud or all time to convince Pep to make him instrumental in multiple title winning teams.
Then you don’t know ball 😅
I love Nelson, but you’re crazy
Crazy
Might work. When he is interested he can be a good player, cover for saka maybe. But it’s keeping him committed to the cause that will be the issue.
I mean, he’s fked Chelsea (all credit to him for that). Sterling didn’t coerce them into the absurd contract they offered on a team with 1000 other wingers on absurd contract.
And even last season he finished with 12 G+A across 31 combined starts/subs in a completely and comically farcical team. As Arteta has already alluded to, he considers Sterling a model pro and he knows far more than the tabloids and opposition fans. What has he ever done that has been legitimately problematic? You also don’t like his tattoos? I really like them myself…
* Actually 10 goals, 8 assists including the cups in 43 combined games.
Arteta will make him comitted i think. I always thought chelsea was a strange move for him anyway
$$$
Just do it!
A week ago I was thinking that every club in the world should boycott taking Chelsea players because they’re cunts and I want them to die (ya know metaphorically), bit a significant part of me loves the signing of Sterling.
Let’s get it done. Great professional and tremendous experience. He will bring good depth to the wing positions.
Makes sense on every level. Seemed inevitable from the moment they exiled him and now we have them over a barrel. I think this gets done.
Sterling instead of Nelson probably gives us about 10 extra goals for the season. Could make a significant difference.
Yep! Big upgrade.
Has an argument to start LW over Martinelli and Trossard
I just made the same point to some friends – if we get Sterling anywhere near his peak (which at 29 isn’t fanciful at all) he’s got a great chance of getting lots of starts on the left.
It’s kind of the perfect solution. Short term, he knows he’ll be a bench warmer and/or cup player, experienced and savvy, relationship with Arteta and Premier league ready. We have to cash in on Nelson ASAP. It’s the smart move at this stage in the window.
Makes sense as long as we pay him what we think he’s worth relative to our other players and so Chelsea are still coughing up the bulk of his salary each week.
Hes a good player and a lot better than Reiss Nelson. Great player to bring on when we need something and to give Saka a rest once in a while.
The more I think about it the more I like it. And no way Chelsea are getting away from paying a BIG chunk of those massive wages.
100k tops, rest on Chelsea. If they don’t like we should walk away.
Please no. If this happens my appreciation for the present management will go down a notch or two.
For history buffs this is is biggest Sterling devaluation since 1949.
Very goid
Happy for others liking the prospect but I’m getting Willian vibes.
I don’t prefer it either knowing we have depth issues in the squad.
Even if he’s a Willian, we’ll definitely need bodies. Can’t expect Saka to have another 50+ games unscathed.
He doesn’t play on the right like Saka.
He absolutely can and has a lot. Sure LW is his primary, but he plays from the RW a lot:
https://x.com/TheSoccerLifee/status/1829617528420909357
He is not a saka backup, this is just an opportunistic move without any strategic basis. I hope it doesn’t jeopardize Arteta or the team. Good luck to us for the rest of the season.
He’s totally going to give Saka some games off and play from the right. I’d wager a post that I will admit my stupidity to the whole Arseblog in caps if that doesn’t happen (assuming Sterling is signed) over the course of the season.
I wait for that 😜
Central too, an alternative to Jesus or Kai up front.
Yup, basically exactly the type of player we need.
No brainer. Solid pro, knows Arteta, knows how a well-run club works, versatile, won’t have to move house, trophy-winning experience, and disappears after a year. We REALLY need a body.
Oh yeah I’m glad we’re helping him out not having to move fkn house!! lol…
Please don’t take Chelsea discards for once even on a short term loan basis. If Chelsea covers full wages then we can think.
If it comes down to our only option to add in the attacking department being a one year Sterling loan would definitely be for that especially if he comes in knowing he will not be starting. It’s the best we can hope for at this late point in time. I see this as more of a Jorginho type situation (experienced professional to provide cover) with some Havertz (a player that can improve greatly over his play at Chelsea) in a more structured environment under Arteta. Really surprised we are leaving so much business to the last minute this year, so… Read more »
We can very well screw the sterling move and hence Sancho move. Time for hard negotiation now if we want to seal it.
So a Man City reject, a Chelsea reject who had two consecutive terrible seasons, aged almost 30, is our choice to “improve” the team to compete for the league and the CL? This is pathetic. At least Nelson is young and hungry to prove himself. Sterling seems quite finished. What happened in this window? How did we get from spending big and getting players like Rice and Havertz to this?
If the sterling signing happens Arteta is putting himself on the line in my view. His decision making has always been prudent but this will be a pressure situation for both Arteta and Sterling. Hopefully it doesnt break/affect the team in any way.
+1000%
Because last year at this time everybody said the same thing about Havertz as they are now saying about Sterling. Well, not everybody, as some people recognize that they were wrong last year — myself included.
Havertz was at least young and had potential and his best years ahead of him. Sterling is almost 30 and comes from two very bad seasons. You guys remember Sterling from 5 years ago, he is not the same player, why would you think he is?
I think he will be something different altogether at Arsenal under Arteta. I don’t much like the player myself, but didn’t think much of Havertz either, or Raya, or White, and wow have I learned to reserve my judgement for the tail-end of the season.
Wow are there some bad and naive takes on Arseblog today. Get a grip, people. What is this, Reddit?
Lame as fuck move. This dude is washed. Has been for last 3 years. Very knee-jerk from Arteta. Raheem sterling has never been in the plans ever and yet here we are. We could have spent the money much more wisely investing in a better, younger more future potential solution for upfront than yet another Chelsea reclamation project. I’m quite disappointed in this window. It’s been all over the fkn place. Calafiori was ok move, the rest has been very meh. Signing journeymen and has beens now and letting Ramsdale go for peanuts. And as I write this we still… Read more »
It’s been a disappointing window for sure. At the start we needed a young and talented midfielder, striker, winger and 2nd choice keeper. What we got was a lot different. I can’t imagine any fan being satisfied with what we’ve done.
Why are we helping those shitbags to crawl out of the financial swamp they are in?? Let them chew those 300k/w!
Just like with Kai and Jorginho we need to cleanse Sterling. I don’t really get the hate for him. Yes, he dives, but so does Saka sometimes. People forget that Sterling is a generational talent. I remember the fuss when he went to Liverpool and to Man City. Everyone wanted him. His numbers at City were excellent and he gave huge props to Arteta. He is not Willian. He’s 29, in what should be his prime. He has a ton of experience in winning the league and, being on loan, we don’t have to struggle to shift him if it… Read more »
Another old cunt from Chelsea, do we ever learn
Season long loan without an obligation to buy, an experienced player who can play across the front line, still has quality left in the tank and wants to play (far from a Willian situation), Arteta likes and knows the player. This is absolutely a masterstroke by Edu and Arteta, funds can be kept for a more permanent signing in the summer (they clearly have some players in mind who just weren’t possible this summer).
Big respect for Sterling as a person, but 💩 footballer
There’s a Reddit thread, about 5 months old, where Chelsea fans are giving their honest opinions of Sterling. Selfish, wasteful and lazy tracking back seemed to be the general consensus. Fingers crossed then Arteta can kick his arse into gear because I feel he is a very talented player.
To be fair, he was playing in an absolute joke of a team. Same goes for Havertz and Jorginho when they left Chelsea. Their reputations were knocked in that side where the organisation was a total mess.
Sterling knows largely what Arteta wants. We’re going to see a very different player at Arsenal I suspect.
Depends on how much we pay for his wages. Heard hes getting 350k per week there. If we cover full amount, better we spend it elsewhere for a cover to Saka. 150k ish sounds about right. Nevertheless, hes good to cover for Saka and maybe we can get more penalties this year.
Great move, same people knocking it are the ones who have been saying Reiss isn’t good enough to back up Saka. Great move for Reiss as well, there’s a good premier league player in there. Always thought he could be a good wingback or right side of midfield in a 4-4-2. Sterling for one season leaves us free to spend on an forward we want next summer. Win all around in my view.
Jam tomorrow. Sterling means we don’t win this season.
So apparently there’s no loan fee and we’re paying less than 50% of his wages. This really doesn’t look a bad deal at all.
Deal sheet is in so it looks like it’s a go.