Will Sterling go from Chelsea exile to Arsenal 'masterstroke'?

Arsenal have signed Raheem Sterling on a season-long loan deal

Raheem Sterling started transfer deadline day staring into oblivion as a member of Chelsea's exiled 'Bomb Squad' but ended it back in the chase for major prizes at Arsenal.

Gunners manager Mikel Arteta's surprise loan move for the former England forward was probably the most eye-catching deal to go before the window closed, and signalled a swift and dramatic change in fortunes for Sterling.

Until Arsenal made their move, the 29-year-old was facing the prospect of spending months as an expensive outcast at Stamford Bridge - condemned to train away from the first team as the most high-profile victim of Chelsea's apparently chaotic transfer policy under owner Todd Boehly's Clearlake group.

But he has been rescued from a career in cold storage by Arteta, who worked with Sterling at Manchester City when he was assistant to Pep Guardiola.

Arteta's belief that Sterling can add an extra dimension to Arsenal's attack gives the forward an unexpected chance to reverse a decline in fortunes from the first poster boy of Boehly's Chelsea regime to being told he had no place in new manager Enzo Maresca's plans - warned he would "not get any minutes" if he stayed.

Sterling's fall from grace at Chelsea was brutal. After being described by Maresca in pre-season as "one of our important players", he was dropped for the opening game of the campaign against Manchester City - prompting a statement from his camp demanding "clarity" on his position.

He suffered the added indignity of being stripped of his number seven shirt, which was handed to Pedro Neto when he arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Maresca insists he likes wingers - as the deadline-day loan signing of Manchester United's Jadon Sancho to add to Neto's arrival proves - but he said Sterling was "not the type of winger I like", adding: "That says nothing about Raheem."

Chelsea's transfer strategy has prompted much debate and criticism, with the notion of Sterling sitting idle - or training with the club's youngsters - while on the five-year deal worth a reported £300,000-a-week he signed when arriving from Manchester City in a £50m deal in July 2022 a prime example of its dysfunction.

Even in a world in which players increasingly resemble commodities, and in which Sterling himself was not slow to push for a move from Liverpool when Manchester City came calling in 2015, there was sympathy in some quarters at his treatment.

But after Arsenal's late intervention, Sterling has been presented with the ideal outcome and opportunity. He is able to stay in his native London and joins a club hoping to bridge the gap to Manchester City and become Premier League champions this season, with the added attraction of Champions League football.

Arteta has never hidden his admiration for Sterling, saying recently: "We built a really strong relationship together at Manchester City. He was unbelievable at that time. He is someone I have really strong feelings about."

Raheem Sterling has not played for England since the World Cup quarter-final defeat by France in Qatar

It is a chance Sterling must have thought was a distant prospect when deadline day began, with reported interest from Manchester United and Paris St-Germain failing to materialise and options limited.

While it is true Sterling has not made the impact expected at Chelsea, he can hardly be branded a failure with his 19 goals in 81 appearances, including 10 in 43 games last season as they finished sixth and returned to Europe under Mauricio Pochettino.

It made the manner in which Sterling was marginalised even more ruthless, especially after Maresca talked up his role before the start of the season. It was, however, symptomatic of how his career has not kicked on for club and country.

When interim England manager Lee Carsley named his squad earlier this week for the Uefa Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland, Sterling was never part of the conversation. He has not been for some time.

His last England appearance came with 11 minutes as a substitute in the World Cup quarter-final loss to France in December 2022, after which he fell from favour with Gareth Southgate.

He had started England's first two games in Qatar - scoring in the 6-2 win over Iran - but was on the bench for the victory over Wales before returning home to deal with a domestic emergency after his home was burgled.

After scoring 20 goals in 82 internationals, he drifted out of contention, missing the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia after a "mutual decision" to concentrate on regaining full fitness after talks with Southgate.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta worked with Raheem Sterling at Manchester City

The move to Stamford Bridge after winning four Premier League titles, the FA Cup and five League Cups at Manchester City was designed to revitalise his career - but it has not worked out like that.

Sterling was even booed by Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge after missing a penalty then sending a free-kick wildly over the bar in the 4-2 win over Leicester City, then managed by Maresca, in the FA Cup quarter-finals in March.

He had been hoping for a fresh start under Maresca, returning to Chelsea two weeks early to get in shape for the new season, then playing in all five pre-season games in America.

Sterling was optimistic, saying: "The manager can get the best out of me, out of the team. He has come in and stamped his authority, the way he wants to play. The Premier League is coming along very soon so I do think there are good times ahead."

He will hope those good times come at Emirates Stadium. There he will be reunited with former England colleague Bukayo Saka in an area where competition is fierce, with Gabriel Martinelli on the left and a talent as mercurial as Leandro Trossard only on the bench before coming on to score in the 2-0 win at Aston Villa last Saturday.

Arteta has been in the hunt for added goal threat, and while Sterling cannot be regarded as a consistent marksman - though his career record is a respectable 173 goals in 549 games - Arsenal will be getting a player who will be highly motivated given the circumstances of his very public rejection by Maresca and Chelsea.

If Arteta can reignite the fire inside Sterling once more and bring him back towards his best, this shock transfer may yet be a masterstroke.