Raheem Sterling is a member of Arsenal in a last-minute loan from Chelsea, making him a member of a fourth club in the Premier League’s so-called “Big Six.”
Sterling, 29, went from a ‘big piece’ of Chelsea’s new era to superfluous and without a uniform number while training apart from Enzo Maresca’s first team in short order.
[ MORE: Full list of Premier League transfers, Summer 2024 ]
His big wage packet made a transfer problematic for Sterling, who joined Liverpool’s academy from QPR and went on to star for the Reds, Manchester City, and Chelsea.
But a good relationship with Mikel Arteta has given Sterling new life with a big London club, and the left wing could be a part of another Premier League title run.
“Looking at everything, I’m just, like, ‘This is a perfect fit for me’, and I’m super happy we got it over the line,” Sterling said. “I spoke with [sporting director] Edu and I said you can see the real togetherness from Mikel’s time here and you see the journey the boys are on. You can see the hunger, and I keep saying again, the togetherness is something I’m looking to be a part of.”
Sterling has the 20th-most goals in Premier League history with 123. Heung-min Son is right on his tail, but Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and 16th place is a mere four goals ahead of the England star. And Sterling’s next assist will put him into the top 20 (assuming he beats Son to that spot, too).
The best is yet to come.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 31, 2024
Welcome to north London, Raheem Sterling ✨ pic.twitter.com/K2YhkSepAp
Raheem Sterling to Arsenal: What does it mean for player, clubs?
Chelsea have enough wingers to field several teams, and they get rid of Sterling’s presence in the background while Maresca tries to outlast other recent Blues’ managers’ tenures.
Sterling’s benefit is clear: He has quickly changed his chances of playing time from near-zero to high probability of a chance. Arteta knows him and Arsenal has good players at left wing but not one who is a nailed-on, every-week starter (Leandro Trossard was already pushing Gabriel Martinelli for playing time).
Is Sterling a clear upgrade on either? That’s a complex question and will only be answered over time, but this is a calculated gamble for Arteta and a good sign that Arsenal isn’t fumbling away a title shot by pinching pennies.
Sterling may no longer be the reliable 17-20 goal scorer he was during the 2018-19 to 2020-21 Premier League seasons, but he’s far from a total dud and brings with him Arteta familiarity as well as 10 English football trophies.
Crunching Sterling’s numbers from the 2023-24 season and measuring them against Martinelli and Trossard show three players producing similar numbers despite different styles. Trossard is shoot-first and scored more goals in far fewer minutes last season, while Martinelli averages more key passes and Sterling is more dangerous 1v1, completing more dribbles and drawing more fouls (Stats from WhoScored’s player comparison tool).
Sterling was also playing for a less-effective attack at Chelsea last season, which provides hope for brighter numbers this season.