Emmanuel Petit has called Arsenal’s deadline day signing of Raheem Sterling from Chelsea a ‘panic buy’.
Arsenal completed the loan signing of the winger from their London rivals in the closing stages of the transfer window, as Mikel Arteta sought to add another option to his forward line.
Sterling had struggled to live up to expectations during his two seasons at Chelsea and will now be aiming to reignite his career across the capital, having not been selected for England since the 2022 World Cup.
However, Petit – who played for both clubs in the Premier League – believes Arsenal’s signing of Sterling was not a well thought out transfer.
Petit brands Raheem Sterling a ‘panic buy’
“I think Raheem Sterling was a panic buy from Arsenal. They just wanted to get someone in before the transfer window closed. They were looking at so many different players for months and didn’t get any of them, including a number nine,” Petit told BetVictor.
“Everyone knows the quality that Sterling can produce and everyone knows what to expect from him, in both a good and bad way on the pitch. He doesn’t behave badly off the pitch and he always tries to give 100%, but sometimes he has so many bad qualities including his consistency.
“Arsenal needed to sign a winger to bring competition for Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, but I honestly think this was just a panic buy. He could be a good addition to the team because he has played under and learned from Pep Guardiola. Mikel Arteta plays exactly the same style, so Sterling knows exactly what Arteta will be expecting from him on the pitch.
“Arteta also knows that Sterling will be wanting revenge after what happened at Chelsea. If I were him, I’d be very upset and I’d be trying my hardest on the pitch to prove them wrong, exactly like Kai Havertz did. It was a pity to see what Chelsea did to both of those players.”
