‘we never planned really to sign him’: Edu opens up on Arsenal summer signing

Arsenal completed a deadline-day deal to sign Raheem Sterling on loan from Chelsea.

The 29-year-old had fallen down the pecking order at the London club and he needed to leave them in order to play regularly.

Meanwhile, Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar has now reflected on the signing and revealed that the Gunners did not plan to sign the England international winger initially, and it was an opportunistic move. He added that Sterling has plenty of experience and he has won major trophies throughout his career. He could make a difference in the team and therefore the club hierarchy decided to proceed with a move for him late on in the window.

He said on the club’s official website: “To be fair we never planned really to sign him when we started the transfer window. 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.”

Raheem Sterling will be a useful option

Arsenal needed to add more quality and depth in the wide areas and they have chosen to sign the England international on a short-term deal. Sterling has proven himself in the Premier League over the years with clubs like Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea. There is no doubt that he could be a quality acquisition for the North London club as well.

Arsenal were not able to rotate players like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli due to the lack of options in the side. The arrival of Sterling will certainly solve that problem for Mikel Arteta. The 29-year-old is versatile enough to operate anywhere across the front three and he will chip in with goals and assist. 

Sterling will look to prove himself at Arsenal and it remains to be seen whether he can hit the ground running at his new club.