Raheem Sterling is up there with the worst signings Arsenal have made in recent years.
Mikel Arteta has rarely got a signing wrong since he took charge of the Gunners, but bringing in the Englishman has to be one of his regrets.
All summer in 2024, Arsenal were in need of a winger, and despite Edu Gaspar’s best efforts, they couldn’t bring one in.
Sterling was signed on loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day, and his spell in North London was nothing short of a disaster.
Who was Edu Gaspar’s worst signing at Arsenal? Willian, Raheem Sterling or someone else?
Raheem Sterling’s theory on why his Arsenal move failed
Financially, Edu pulled off a really smart deal to sign Sterling on loan at Arsenal.
The Gunners did not pay a loan fee to Chelsea to secure the winger’s services, and they only paid a fraction of his wages during his time at the club as well.
In fact, Chelsea paid more money to Sterling to play for Arsenal than the Gunners did themselves, which was quite funny at the time.
However, the current Premier League leaders must have regrets over signing the England international.
Throughout his loan spell at the Emirates, Sterling played 28 games, but just 13 of those came from the start. He scored one goal and provided five assists in those appearances.
The Daily Mail have now revealed that Sterling knew very well that he was only going to be backup to Bukayo Saka when he joined the club.
However, he feels the fact that Arsenal only paid a fifth of his wages contributed to his lack of game time under Arteta.
Now, less than a year after the end of his loan spell, Sterling has been released by Chelsea and is without a club. It will be interesting to see where he will end up.
Rate Raheem Sterling’s time at Arsenal from 1 to 10
Raheem Sterling can have no complaints regarding his Arsenal loan spell
Sterling has to be up there with the best wingers the Premier League has seen over the last 15 years.
The Englishman impressed at Liverpool before becoming a superstar under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City during his time there.
However, since he left the Etihad, he has looked nothing like his previous self, and that was the case when he was on loan at Arsenal.
In the games he played, Sterling showed nothing to warrant more game time, and he can only blame himself for that.
His theory that his minutes were linked to his wages makes no sense. He didn’t deserve any more game time than he got in the 2024/25 campaign.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
