Edu Gaspar revealed that Raheem Sterling wasn’t necessarily a primary target for Arsenal but took the opportunity to sign him on loan from Chelsea.
Arsenal fans were hoping their club would bring in an attacker, not necessarily a striker, but someone who could justify the depleted numbers. Following Eddie Nketiah’s expected sale a few days ago calls to bring in a player in the final third grew exponentially. Until late in the window, the Gunners were inactive.
However, earlier reports on Friday indicated there were some links to Raheem Sterling, but soon enough, a move for the Chelsea winger was ruled out. The 29-year-old ace was banished by the Blues away from the first team, and there was a feeling he needed to move away from the club at all costs.
After much deliberation and with limited time left in the window, the Gunners acted on their interest and opened talks with Chelsea over a loan deal. Arsenal, led by director Edu Gaspar, held firm discussions and put forward their conditions to take the disgruntled star while also agreeing on personal terms with the player on the sides.
Right on the brink of the transfer deadline, Arsenal completed the formalities and submitted a deal sheet to the Premier League to make sure they got the signing over the line. The Gunners have since confirmed the arrival of Sterling on a season-long loan deal without any option or obligation to buy the 29-year-old ace later.
In the aftermath of the arrival, Edu spoke to the Arsenal media and revealed that Sterling wasn’t necessarily a part of their original plan in the context of the entire summer window. The Brazilian also revealed that the club saw this as an opportunity and that he also spoke to other members of the club as well as manager Mikel Arteta before giving the green light.
Edu said, “To be fair we never planned really to sign him when we started the transfer window, just to be very transparent, for different reasons. 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 of course. I spoke to Tim [Lewis], our vice-chairman, to check if everyone is comfortable with the step we are going to take, and it makes a lot of sense.”
“It makes a lot of sense to have someone like him because I’m pretty sure he is going to add a lot to the squad. He has experience, he understands more than anyone in the league, and 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 thrilled to see someone like him in our squad.”
Sterling was delighted at the psoepct of playing for Arsenal, although he did not feature in the team’s 1-1 draw in the lunchtime kickoff on Saturday against Brighton. He was present at the Emirates, and will likely make his debut during the north London Derby scheduled to be played right after the international break.
From an Arsenal perspective, the signing of a wide attacker became necessary as the sale of Nketiah did bring down their numbers. The experience of Sterling, as well as his know-how of how Arteta operates, will have played a big role in the club’s decision-making. On paper, the 29-year-old ace is a brilliant signing for the Gunners in the context of what they needed in the attack, as Sterling does bring loads of experience.
