Arsenal sprung a surprise when they signed Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling in the final minutes of the transfer window, and even his new teammates did not expect the move.
Sterling has joined Arsenal on loan for the season, and he will be reunited with some familiar faces. The England star has played alongside Ben White, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka for his country at International tournaments.
The 29-year-old also worked with Mikel Arteta at Manchester City, where he played with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, and he joins from Chelsea, where he was previously teammates with Kai Havertz and Jorginho.
Jorginho has now explained why despite his surprise at the deal to sign Sterling, he is excited to be reunited with the winger.
Jorginho praises Raheem Sterling after surprise Arsenal transfer
Speaking to Arsenal legend David Seaman on the Seaman Says Podcast, Jorginho explained that his familiarity with Sterling should aid his adaptation to the club.
“You know the club, especially Mikel and Edu, what they’re doing, you know who they are bringing in, is just what [the team needs], so something good’s going to happen for sure,” Jorginho explained.
“When you see there is a player, that you know, that you played together and you know their qualities already, you know how they can help more, and if you feel like, ‘okay, I know how to give him the ball already,’ you know you don’t need to get to know him, it is different.”
Jorginho then revealed that he had not spoken to Sterling before his move to Arsenal, and it caught him completely by surprise.
“No, because I’m honestly not there looking at the news and stuff, because it’s mad,” Jorginho replied when asked if he knew Sterling was joining at the time.
“It was the day of the [Brighton] game no? So I woke up to go and then I was like ‘What?’ Then we found out that he was coming, and he’s going to be great, great for us with his qualities, and what he’s won already, and I think he can add a lot to the team.”
Raheem Sterling’s familiarity should help Arsenal adaptation
Sterling’s familiarity with a good chunk of the Arsenal squad should mean he does not need too much time to adapt, and his time at Man City should also make this easier.
Having played under Pep Guardiola and Arteta at Man City, Sterling may fit Arsenal’s system like a glove, and is already well aware of how Arteta operates.
If he plays on the left wing, in front of Zinchenko, alongside Rice or Jorginho on the left, with Havertz or Jesus upfront, he will be completely surrounded with players he has played with before, and as Jorginho pointed out, it will be easy for the Arsenal squad to adapt to him as well.
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