Premier League rival had one big worry about Raheem Sterling that should also concern Arsenal

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Arsenal signed Raheem Sterling on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea on deadline day.

The Gunners were on the market for a new attacker, and a number of names had been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium over the course of the summer.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Arsenal rejected the chance to sign Victor Osimhen when he was offered back in June. Arsenal also turned down the opportunity to sign Marco Asensio from PSG on deadline day.

The player they did sign is Sterling, but people within a rival Premier League club had one very serious concern about the Chelsea attacker.

The one worry about new Arsenal signing Raheem Sterling

Sterling has been one of the biggest names in English football for many years now.

The attacker made his senior debut for Liverpool when he was just 17 years old. He played 129 games for the Reds before making the big move to Manchester City in 2015.

Sterling became a real star under Pep Guardiola and his then-assistant, Mikel Arteta, and he played a total of 339 games for the champions during his time there.

After leaving City and joining Chelsea, Sterling played 81 games for the Stamford Bridge club, taking his senior club tally to 549 games. He has also made 82 senior appearances for England.

Sterling has played a ton of football for a 29-year-old, and that, according to The Independent, was a concern to someone within a Premier League club when the player was made available for a transfer.

The report claims that it is believed Sterling’s “physical age” is now much older than 29, which is probably why many clubs like West Ham and Crystal Palace decided against signing him.

If rival clubs are concerned about Sterling’s “physical age”, Arsenal should be too.

READ MORE: Alan Shearer delivers ‘important’ Raheem Sterling verdict as Arsenal reap one clear reward

Edu played a blinder in Arsenal’s Sterling deal

Edu deserves a lot of credit for the way he negotiated the Sterling deal.

Chelsea have always been tough negotiators, and they were even demanding a loan fee to let Sterling join another club.

Edu was having none of that. The Arsenal sporting director made it clear on deadline day that the only way he would sign Sterling was if he was available on loan for free and the Gunners only had to pay a fraction of his wages.

The report claims that people close to the deal are adamant that Arsenal are only paying £100,000-a-week to Sterling, which is incredible as his original wages at Chelsea are £325,000-a-week.

That is a a phenomenal deal, and the fact that Arsenal are not obligated to make the move permanent makes this even better. It’s a risk-free signing for the Gunners.