Arsenal has strengthened their bid for the title by rescuing Raheem Sterling from his Chelsea exile. Meanwhile, Chelsea is set to enhance their winger lineup by securing the loan of Jadon Sancho from Manchester United, with an obligation to purchase. However, Enzo Maresca’s pursuit of a striker was foiled as they failed to lure Victor Osimhen away from Napoli.
Following a hectic transfer window at Chelsea and a day filled with uncertainty, the club found solace in finally securing a new destination for Sterling. Arsenal emerged as the primary contenders for the 29-year-old winger, who faced complications due to his £325,000-per-week contract. The loan agreement was officially confirmed just before 1:50 am BST, with no loan fee involved.
Discussions with Chelsea escalated on Friday evening, and Sterling promptly agreed to join Mikel Arteta’s squad. Arsenal was eager to strengthen their title ambitions by adding depth to their attacking options.
Chelsea’s interest in Sterling has waned, as he has been informed that he does not fit into Maresca’s plans. He has been excluded from the first-team squad and has been told that he will not feature in any of Maresca’s matches, as the coach prefers different types of wingers.
Chelsea already has a plethora of options in the wide areas, which raises the question of whether there is room for Sancho in their squad. The former Borussia Dortmund winger is not part of Erik ten Hag’s plans and is eager to join Chelsea. It is expected that the deal will become permanent for approximately £25m at the end of the season. Sancho was on the verge of becoming Chelsea’s 13th signing this summer, with reports suggesting that the club has agreed to cover a significant portion of his £300,000 weekly salary.
Earlier in the week, there were discussions about a potential swap deal involving Sterling and Sancho. Additionally, Manchester United considered the prospect of signing Carney Chukwuemeka from Chelsea but were not interested in including Ben Chilwell, the England left-back, in a deal for Sancho.
Chelsea bolstered their attacking midfield options by acquiring Pedro Neto and João Félix. Maresca now has the choice of selecting from Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku, and Mykhailo Mudryk.
Despite this, there is still a desire to bring in a top-class striker to compete with Nicolas Jackson. Chelsea officials spent the entire day attempting to secure the signature of Osimhen, but they were unable to convince him to accept their wage structure. Osimhen had previously experienced a failed move to Al-Ahli. It remains to be seen if he will join the Saudi Pro League side before their transfer window closes next week.
As a result, Chelsea is left with 18-year-old Marc Guiu as Jackson’s backup. They also considered options such as Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Aston Villa’s Jhon Durán, and Brentford’s Ivan Toney. However, Toney’s £40m transfer to Al-Ahli was confirmed in the early hours of Saturday. Maresca’s request for a new centre-back also went unanswered.
A significant amount of attention was given to offloading unwanted players at Stamford Bridge. Crystal Palace was expected to secure the loan signing of Trevoh Chalobah, the 25-year-old centre-back, while Djordje Petrovic, the goalkeeper, made a temporary move to Strasbourg. Armando Broja’s proposed transfer to Ipswich fell through, but Everton stepped in and secured the striker on loan with an option to buy.
Carney Chukwuemeka encountered frustration in his search for a new club. West Ham and Manchester United showed interest in the midfielder, but he ultimately remained where he was. Chilwell also stayed at Stamford Bridge.
The arrival of Sterling at Arsenal paved the way for Eddie Nketiah to finalize his transfer to Crystal Palace for an initial fee of £25m, with a potential additional £5m in add-ons. Palace had been monitoring the England striker for several years, and he was eager to join Selhurst Park after rejecting Nottingham Forest earlier in the transfer window.
Arsenal could now potentially recoup nearly £90m during this window, as they also sold Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham and, on deadline day, Aaron Ramsdale to Southampton for an initial fee of £18m. Additionally, Reiss Nelson secured a season-long loan move to Fulham after turning down Ipswich.
Arsenal has secured the services of Neto, the goalkeeper from Bournemouth, as a replacement for Ramsdale. However, Arteta shared earlier that Spain midfielder Mikel Merino suffered a suspected fractured shoulder during his first training session on Thursday, ruling him out for a few weeks. Sterling will not be able to play in Saturday’s match against Brighton, but his experience will be invaluable when he returns. He is expected to compete with Gabriel Martinelli for a position on the left side of Arteta’s attack, and can also provide cover for centre-forward Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka on the right.
Nketiah’s transfer to Palace happened after central defender Maxence Lacroix joined from Wolfsburg. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Sam Johnstone left Selhurst Park for Wolves, who acquired defensive midfielder André from the Brazilian club Fluminense for £21m. Leicester secured the services of striker Odsonne Édouard on loan from Palace.
