Raheem Sterling &#8211; CaughtOffside

29-year-old prices himself out of Man United move with €25m demands

West Ham co-chair Karren Brady appears to take swipe at Newcastle owners

317-time Man Utd player left without club as talks collapse over contract demands

“Therefore, you would think there will be limited resale possibilities, it’s real damage limitation from Chelsea.”

Chelsea will be hoping Sterling performs well enough to play himself into the shop window, and hopefully more clubs will be interested in him next summer.

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“Yeah, it’s possible” – Journalist confirms Arsenal can sign player from London rivals

Ahad Shaukat — Sat, 07 Sep 2024 08:02:59 +0000

Arsenal have managed to sign Raheem Sterling on loan from Chelsea this summer.

The former Liverpool and Manchester City player joins Arsenal on a season long loan, with Mikel Arteta’s team not having the option to make the deal permanent.

After being told by Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca that he is not a part of his future plans, Sterling started looking for a new club.

He was linked with a move to Manchester United, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace but the Gunners managed to win the race to sign the winger.

Arteta wanted to add depth to his wide areas and Sterling was available for a transfer.

Although the Gunners do not have any option to make the transfer permanent, they could still sign the English winger in a permanent move when his loan deal ends.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has provided the latest update about the 29-year-old winger.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jacobs said:

“Yeah, it’s possible. Raheem Sterling is very excited by the Arsenal move, a player that Mikel Arteta knows well, and exactly the kind of signing that Arsenal have done in the past, where they’ve seen opportunism in the market.”

Arsenal could sign Raheem Sterling in a permanent move.

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29-year-old prices himself out of Man United move with €25m demands

West Ham co-chair Karren Brady appears to take swipe at Newcastle owners

317-time Man Utd player left without club as talks collapse over contract demands

The journalist added:

“He’s prepared to be a squad player, and he knows that he’s going to be integrated into the culture and get a fair amount of minutes throughout the season.”

It is clear from Chelsea’s transfer business that Sterling will have no place in the squad under Maresca.

They have signed Jadon Sancho from Manchester United this summer and the arrival of Pedro Neto from Wolves shows that the Blues have moved on from Sterling and he will have no future at the club.

Arsenal manager has past experience with Raheem Sterling

Arsenal will most likely be able to sign the player in a bargain deal since he is surplus to requirements at the club.

The Gunners would like to first see his performances this season and determine how he fits the philosophy and the playing style of the manager.

Having worked with Sterling at Man City, Arsenal manager can revive the career of the player who was one of Pep Guardiola’s best players a few years ago.

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Mikel Arteta considering starting Raheem Sterling in new position for North London Derby

Andrew Walker — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 08:56:06 +0000

Mikel Arteta has two weeks to work out how he is going to manage Declan Rice’s suspension.

The England international was shown a red card by Chris Kavanagh during last weekend’s 1-1 draw at home against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Rice’s sending-off came from him receiving a second yellow card for preventing play following a strange incident also involving Brighton’s Joel Veltman.

The 25-year-old’s suspension will see him ruled out for one match but set to miss the North London Derby against bitter-rivals Spurs, the midfielder’s exclusion could not have come at a worse time for Arteta.

The Spanish manager is forced to consider changing his lineup to accommodate for Rice’s absence.

Raheem Sterling set for North London Derby debut

Raheem Sterling is in line to make his debut following his Deadline Day loan from Chelsea but the winger could start his Arsenal career in an unfamiliar position.

Raheem Sterling could make his Arsenal debut against Spurs in the North London Derby.

According to a recent report from GiveMeSport, upon the current international break ending, Arteta could start Sterling as a False 9 with Kai Havertz dropping back into midfield.

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29-year-old prices himself out of Man United move with €25m demands

West Ham co-chair Karren Brady appears to take swipe at Newcastle owners

317-time Man Utd player left without club as talks collapse over contract demands

The German’s versatility allows for him to play in multiple positions and midfield is one he’s used to having played there a lot during his first season at the Emirates.

Should Havertz move to midfield, the German will play behind Martin Odegaard and alongside either Jorginho or Thomas Partey with Sterling asked to lead the line with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli on either side.

The North London Derby, which will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, is set to kick off at 2 p.m. (UK time) on the 15th of September and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

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“He suits our shirt” – Arsenal legend delighted with deal for one summer signing in particular

Charlie Patrick — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 20:57:20 +0000

Ian Wright has admitted he’s delighted with Raheem Sterling’s move to Arsenal and described it as a “magnificent” deal.

Sterling was the facing the prospect of being frozen out at Chelsea and playing no football until January if a move away could’t be sorted after being told he was no longer part of the project at Stamford Bridge.

Luckily for the England international a late deadline day loan move to Arsenal was sorted which will represent a fresh start after a disappointing and underwhelming spell in West London.

Wright delighted with Sterling signing

Sterling’s arrival will give Arsenal another attacking option and crucially the 29-year-old will provide back-up to Bukayo Saka, who simply can’t play every game.

The signing has received a mixed reaction from Arsenal fans, but you can understand why the club has done it given Sterling’s existing relationship with Mikel Arteta, whilst from a financial perspective they aren’t paying a loan fee and are only contributing part of his wages.

However, Arsenal legend Wright has stated he’s delighted with Sterling’s arrival and believes it will be a “magnificent” deal for the club.

Sterling completed a loan move to Arsenal on deadline day.

“I’m absolutely delighted with it, the way the deal has panned out,” he said on his podcast Wrighty’s House.

“When you consider the deal, Raheem, the family doesn’t have to move, he’s got a point to prove, he knows the manager, ain’t got a problem with rotation playing, experience, winner.

“That is a magnificent deal for us, a really good signing for us and for him at 29. Chelsea are paying the majority of the wages. It’s almost like it can’t get any better.

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29-year-old prices himself out of Man United move with €25m demands

West Ham co-chair Karren Brady appears to take swipe at Newcastle owners

317-time Man Utd player left without club as talks collapse over contract demands

“The only way it’s going to get any better is when he scores the winner against Tottenham. That’s when you think to yourself: “That is it! It’s meant to be!”.

“You know when you see a player in your shirt, he suits our shirt. He suits our shirt.”

Sterling very much has a point to prove at Arsenal and could make his debut for the Gunners after the international break in the North London derby against Tottenham.

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“Something’s gone wrong internally” – Ex-Premier League agent explains Chelsea transfer debacle

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 09:34:49 +0000

Chelsea experienced yet another busy transfer this summer, with deals being done by the club right up until the end of deadline day or, in the case of Victor Osimhen, not concluded.

The madness that seems to wash over the Stamford Bridge outfit as soon as there’s the opportunity to buy or sell has had many football watchers scratching their heads.

Former Premier League agent, Jon Smith, has even gone as far as to suggest that something is wrong internally at the club.

Chelsea transfer debacle explained

“Chelsea are a fascinating work in progress, aren’t they?” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“The Sancho/Sterling thing for instance… Sancho is probably on the same kind of money as Sterling, and I guess he’s younger…

“I’m not sure what’s happened with Sterling but obviously something’s gone wrong internally I would have thought.

Jadon Sancho joined Chelsea after Raheem Sterling’s move to Arsenal

“You don’t just treat a player with that talent and history the way that he was treated. So I think the move to Arsenal is good for him and it’s almost like an internal swap with Sancho.”

Frankly, there needs to be some stability at the football club now if the owners want to see the success that they crave realised under the current set-up.

Enzo Maresca is already finding out how difficult life can be working at the West London club, as Chelsea scraped past minnows Servette in the Europa Conference League, and have only impressed in their Premier League rout of Wolves.

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317-time Man Utd player left without club as talks collapse over contract demands

Sep 9 2024, 23:40

29-year-old prices himself out of Man United move with €25m demands

Sep 9 2024, 22:46

West Ham co-chair Karren Brady appears to take swipe at Newcastle owners

Sep 9 2024, 22:27

The Italian needs to succeed where Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and Mauricio Pochettino all failed.

In a sense, they were never really given time to succeed by the owners, and that’s absolutely what Maresca needs now if the club want a solid foundation moving forward.

As for Raheem Sterling, no wonder he seems happier than he has for a long time.

The post “Something’s gone wrong internally” – Ex-Premier League agent explains Chelsea transfer debacle appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Multiple title-winner “buzzing” about Arsenal transfer opportunity

Mark Brus — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 05:19:27 +0000

Arsenal’s new loan signing Raheem Sterling is said to be “buzzing” about the opportunity to join the Gunners this season, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Sterling ended up being something of a surprise late signing for Arsenal this summer, joining on loan from Chelsea on Deadline Day, but it looks like it could be smart business by Mikel Arteta’s side, even if the 29-year-old had found himself out of the first-team picture at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca had made it clear that he didn’t want Sterling due to him not being his preferred style of winger, while it’s also fair to say that this rather bloated Blues squad also has so many other options in that position, such as new signings Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho.

Sterling didn’t want to leave London and move abroad, so he’s very happy to have had the chance to join Arsenal, according to Romano as he spoke exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column.

Raheem Sterling left Chelsea for Arsenal this summer

Sterling transfer: Arsenal new-boy “buzzing” with move

Discussing Sterling’s mood after a difficult end to his time at Chelsea, Romano said: “He’s very happy to join Arsenal. Happy about the project, the manager, staying in London as he didn’t want to move to Middle East or this kind of solutions. So, I’m told he’s buzzing for this opportunity to join Arsenal.”

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29-year-old prices himself out of Man United move with €25m demands

West Ham co-chair Karren Brady appears to take swipe at Newcastle owners

317-time Man Utd player left without club as talks collapse over contract demands

While some fans might be concerned about the England international being past his peak years, he at least provides a very experienced rotation option for Arteta this season, having won four Premier League titles during his Manchester City days.

With AFC once again looking to challenge City for the title this year, they could benefit hugely from having someone in their squad who’s been there and done that, including a couple of times when Arteta was part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at the Etihad Stadium.

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Raheem Sterling makes unusual decision following arrival at Arsenal

Darren Looney — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 18:16:46 +0000

New Arsenal signing Raheem Sterling has decided to wear the number 30 shirt at the Emirates Stadium for the 2024/25 campaign despite never using the number before in his career.

The winger joined the Gunners on Deadline Day as part of a loan move from Chelsea having fallen out of favour quickly at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Maresca made it clear that the Englishman was not part of his plans during the opening weekend of the Premier League season as the Italian coach left the former Man City star out of his squad to face the Manchester side.

This prompted Sterling’s team to release a statement regarding Maresca’s decision and from here the winger’s career at Chelsea was only going to go one way.

As a result, the 29-year-old found a way out of Stamford Bridge and has joined Arsenal on loan for the season. The Premier League winner is a player Mikel Arteta knows very well, as the pair previously worked together at Manchester City for three and a half years, in which the duo enjoyed a lot of success.

Sterling will provide his Spanish coach with options for his wide areas and the winger could be very useful in helping Bukayo Saka to keep fresh throughout the campaign.

Arsenal signed Raheem Sterling from Chelsea on Deadline Day

Raheem Sterling chooses his Arsenal shirt number

Having completed his move to Arsenal, Sterling has made the unusual decision to wear the number 30 shirt at the Emirates Stadium despite never donning it before in his career, the Premier League club have confirmed.

The closest the winger has come to 30 is the 31 shirt he wore at Liverpool as a young Sterling broke through the ranks at Anfield.

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29-year-old prices himself out of Man United move with €25m demands

West Ham co-chair Karren Brady appears to take swipe at Newcastle owners

317-time Man Utd player left without club as talks collapse over contract demands

Many expected the Chelsea loanee to pick the number 10 shirt following the departure of Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham but for some reason, the winger opted against this.

The 29-year-old now follows in the footsteps of Eddie Nketiah and Matt Turner, two players who recently wore 30 at the North London club, with the Englishman hoping his Arsenal career goes better than the duo.

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Chelsea departure admits he’s ‘buzzing’ to have found new club

CJ — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 17:16:43 +0000

Raheem Sterling says he’s ‘buzzing’ after securing a summer loan move from Chelsea to Arsenal.

Sterling was among a clutch of players effectively exiled from the Chelsea squad under new boss Enzo Maresca, stripped of his squad number and set to train away from the core group.

The England international was linked with a number of high-profile moves over the summer, with the likes of Juventus, Manchester United and Aston Villa reportedly showing interest.

However, in an unexpected twist, Arsenal sealed a loan move for Sterling in one of the final moves before the English window closed.

Sterling ‘buzzing’ after sealing Chelsea loan exit to Arsenal

Raheem Sterling pictured as he’s unveiled as an Arsenal player.

Despite being pushed out at Stamford Bridge, Sterling brings a wealth of experience and quality to the Arsenal ranks as a veteran of 379 games and 123 goals in the Premier League with Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea combined.

The 29-year-old is now ‘buzzing’ to be at the Emirates and can’t wait to get going.

“I’m buzzing. It’s one where we left it late but it’s one I was hoping for. Looking at everything, I’m just like: ‘this is a perfect fit for me’, and I’m super happy that we got it over the line,” Sterling told Arsenal’s official website.

“It’s a perfect fit for myself to be at a football club like this, where you can see that hunger, that desire, year on year, they are pushing and pushing and pushing. That’s exactly how I am as a person.

“Each year you want to get better and do better than the previous year. Hopefully, I can gel really well with the boys and get going.

“It’s time now to meet the boys, get settled in and hopefully now see some game time and make my mark.”

Sterling will hope to make his Arsenal debut when the Gunners travel to North London rivals Tottenham following the international break.

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Agents column: Look no further than Man City, brilliant Brighton, same old West Ham and much more

Jon Smith — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 10:51:08 +0000

In his fortnightly exclusive column for CaughtOffside, Jon Smith, one of football’s first-ever agents and a man who was an integral figure in the forming of the Premier League, discusses Chelsea being a fascinating work in progress, why nothing has changed at West Ham despite all their new signings, why he can’t look beyond Man City for the Premier League title – and more!

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Chelsea remain a fascinating work in progress

Chelsea are a fascinating work in progress, aren’t they?

The Sancho/Sterling thing for instance… Sancho is probably on the same kind of money as Sterling, and I guess he’s younger…

I’m not sure what’s happened with Sterling but obviously something’s gone wrong internally I would have thought.

You don’t just treat a player with that talent and history the way that he was treated. So I think the move to Arsenal is good for him and it’s almost like an internal swap with Sancho.

But what about the likes of Ben Chilwell? He’s on the best part of 200 grand, and he’s now stuck with the kids, which I find that a little bit strange. What happens if Cucurella gets injured?

Putting my agents hat on for a second, you’ve got a player that has to deal with the situation that he finds himself in, and one he clearly won’t like, but in my humble opinion he has to be a professional.

He’s being very well paid, and it’s what he does for a living.

If you’re a professional roofer and you don’t get on with your boss for some reason, and you throw a tantrum because the guy asks you to go up on someone’s roof, then you either do it or you walk out.

So if Chilwell’s that unhappy, walk out. Speak to the PFA for breach a contract.

It doesn’t work that way though as we know, however, so for the short time the player is on Planet Football, the rewards are big and he must behave, in my opinion, like a professional, even if maybe his employers aren’t.

Not that I’m not suggesting Chelsea aren’t of course, because there’s obviously stuff that’s going on that I’m not aware of there.

Brighton have done it again with Hurzeler appointment

I find myself praising Paul Barber and the team at Brighton again.

I mean, they just keep coming up with these names out of nowhere. Fabian Hurzeler, just 31 years of age from the German second division and he seems to have got it straightaway.

The players seem to respect him, though I’m only observing, and from what I’ve seen tactically they’re very adept.

I thought Arsenal looked good at the weekend but Brighton were fantastic.

Admittedly, Arsenal were down to 10 and gave the Seagulls huge respect, and they were certainly happy with that 1-1 draw at the end.

I can definitely see Brighton qualifying for Europe this year.

Decent enough window for Arsenal

I quite like one of the buys Arsenal made this summer; Calafiori.

I’m not sure about Merino because I don’t know an awful lot about him, to be honest. Calafiori and Sterling are two good buys for Arteta.

Pressure is right on ten Hag unless results change quickly

The pressure is always on when you’re Manchester United, and it’s more on the manager than it is on the ownership at this moment in time.

That’s because the ownership were perceived to have done the right thing by keeping him in place.

What I don’t understand is players, for example Casemiro… he was amazing when he first joined the club but what’s happened to him? Why has everything gone so far south?

I just don’t understand what’s going on United.

They’ve got a team of really good players, and it’s just not happening for them. Even Rashford, the eternal servant, just doesn’t look the part anymore.

So I’m kind of sticking my neck out really, but unless things turn around fairly quickly, there must be a Plan B – and the Plan B would would be to replace ten Hag.

It’s kind of more of the same at the moment.

Liverpool looking good under cool, calm and collected Slot

Interestingly enough, sort of across the road is Liverpool, and I have to say that the new regime looks very relaxed.

Arne Slot is calmly getting on with doing the same thing that his predecessor did, and without really adding to the squad as well.

They brought in Federico Chiesa at the end of the window but that really was the extent of their business (Giorgi Mamardashvili doesn’t join for another year).

So far, so good.

Everton must stick with Sean Dyche if they want EPL survival

Down at the bottom of the Premier League, Everton have lost their first three games of the season, just as they lost their first three last season – so at least they’re consistent.

Things look a bit worse in 24/25, but I know Sean Dyche and he’s a great personal motivator so I’m banking on him to somehow turn it around.

There does come a point when you can only turn it around so often, however. A moment when you have to say, ‘right, got to do something else.’

It’s such a mess off the pitch at the moment that I don’t see them getting rid of Dyche because everything else is against them.

I wouldn’t know who’s going to go in there, and whoever it is – if Everton were inclined to go down that route – would want a budget.

Nobody knows what the budget is, because nobody knows whether the club can afford to finish their new stadium.

I don’t think bringing back David Moyes – as has been mooted – is overly relevant at the moment. Moyes is a good coach, but everyone has their day and some of his best are behind him now.

I’ve huge regard for David Moyes and maybe the whole emotional thing plays well. But I think it’s bit of an elastoplast rather than an operational fix.

All go at Juve whilst Dybala wins the plaudits at Roma

Juventus under Thiago Motta are trying to change everything.

They bought a young lad from Atalanta called Koopmeiners, and I’ve watched some videos of him – he’s technically a really good player.

What’s more, he’s gone there in the hope of playing rather than just going straight into the team – that takes guts. Bravo young man.

I’m delighted for Roma fans too, after Paulo Dybala turned down the €75m on offer from Al Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League.

I hear a number of Roma fans all went to his house to thank him – a lovely little story.

Haaland and Man City already looking ominous

With Man City you can’t look further than Haaland can you. I mean, which planet is this man from?! Just astonishing, unbelievable.

That third goal was quite incredible.

It’s early days but already I can’t see much beyond City for the title again – unless they get a ‘hangover’ after Christmas.

New signings won’t make a difference at West Ham

I just wonder whether all of the new summer signings are going to make a difference at West Ham.

Yes, they had to do it and I think they’ve done well, they’ve bought a couple of decent players.

Wan-Bissaka I like and there are a number of others that were brought in with him.

I just don’t know what it is, maybe a gut feeling, that it’s not going to make a great deal of difference.

I love West Ham so I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for them, and I just hope it’s hope it’s going to be a good, fun year for them.

Tottenham looking to youth is the right way to go

The last word this week is on Spurs because I’ve not mentioned them yet.

I think it looks like they’re concentrating on youth now under Ange, doesn’t it? The likes of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall et al.

It’s an interesting experiment and one which, at the moment, I think is probably the right way to go for them.

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Arsenal transfer news: Sterling deal, Sesko Plan B, Coman and Williams links explained, & more

Charles Watts — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 20:00:00 +0000

This article was originally published on the Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Charles Watts’ exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service at thedailybriefing.io

Raheem Sterling transfer looks like smart work by Arsenal

Raheem Sterling’s move was a classic case of reacting to an opportunity.

Arsenal didn’t go into the summer window thinking about signing him, Edu openly admitted that himself when he spoke to the club’s media team soon after the window shut. But having been unable to add to their attacking depth, the opportunity was there just before the deadline to try and do a deal with Chelsea because of Sterling’s situation and Arsenal took full advantage of that.

In the end you have to say that it looks like a great piece of business by Arsenal. Ultimately though, it will be judged on how well Sterling does while he is with the club.

But on the face of it Arsenal have landed themselves an excellent player, who can play anywhere across the frontline and who has the experience of winning four Premier League titles under his belt. And they have done it without having to pay a loan fee, without being tied into any sort of obligation to make the move permanent and by committing to only paying a fraction of his wages. It’s Chelsea who will still be covering the majority of them.

So there’s no doubt it’s a good deal for Arsenal. The key thing is though that they need Sterling to rediscover his best form during the year that he is with the squad. Hopefully Mikel Arteta can find a way of doing that and the signs are good, given we know that Sterling credits Arteta for getting the best out of him while he was with Manchester City.

You look at Arsenal’s squad right now with the departures of Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah and with the injury absence of Gabriel Jesus, and it looks light in the attacking department. So Sterling needs to get up to speed quickly and needs to start making a difference.

His game does look well suited to Arsenal. We know Arteta’s side like to get into the box and cut balls back and there are not many wingers better and getting themselves in at the back post to finish off those types of chances. He will also provide much needed cover for Bukayo Saka, which will be crucial over the course of such a demanding season.

So I think it’s a good move for Arsenal.

It had started to look like they weren’t going to get anything done in terms of signing an attacker. Obviously Nico Williams was the player they would have loved to have signed, but that just wasn’t possible, so they had to react to what was out there.

Kingsley Coman was also linked late on, but I don’t know if there was any truth in that. His representatives were certainly doing all they could late on in the window to try and get his name out there to see if they could engineer a move.

Did Arsenal look seriously at other strikers after missing out on Benjamin Sesko?

There was lots of talk about Arsenal signing a striker during the summer, but I never got the impression that was something they were really looking to do once their move for Benjamin Sesko proved unsuccessful.

Sesko was a player they had tracked for a while and – thanks to his release clause – they felt he was available at a price that was under his actual market value. It was an opportunity they felt was too good to pass up. That’s why they tried to get a deal done, but I never looked at it and thought that if they signed him, that he would be coming in as first choice starter ahead of Kai Havertz. He was always more of a development signing. Someone who would get plenty of game time, but would be more of a squad addition at first rather than a starter.

So it wasn’t a case of Arsenal going into the window determined to sign a new centre forward. They were always quite happy with what they had. He was just someone who was possibly available that they felt was worth moving for. When it didn’t happen, I was always of the opinion that a winger would be more likely to arrive than a forward in what time was left of the transfer window.

What Arsenal’s move for Sesko did show was that they are willing to spend big money on a striker if they believe he is the right player. What they won’t do is just spend money for the sake of it and risk bringing someone in that they are not convinced will be the right fit or the right type of profile.

So this summer they kept their powder dry and decided they had enough to get through this season with what they had. Next summer, however, could be a different story.

Declan Rice red card was ridiculous – we won’t see another decision like it again

It was a really frustrating day for Arsenal on Saturday against Brighton. It was a game they should have won and a game I think they would have won pretty comfortably had Declan Rice not have been sent off.

Arsenal were firmly in command of the game before the red card, even if they had not exactly been at their best during the first half.

But Rice’s dismissal completely changed things and I honestly think it was a laughable decision from the referee. I’ve seen lots of talk since that Chris Kavanagh had ‘no other choice’ and by the ‘letter of the law’ Rice had to go.

That’s just rubbish. Of course he had a choice, just as he did in the first half when he decided not to book Joao Pedro for booting the ball 40 yards upfield to prevent Arsenal the chance of taking a quick throw-in after he had run the ball out of play.

Kavanagh had the chance just to go over to Rice and Joel Veltman, tell them both to get up and to get on with things. Had he done that, no-one would have even mentioned the situation again.

But instead he chose to make himself the story. He chose to completely change the context of the game following a nothing incident.

Was Rice a bit stupid to do what he did? Yes. But we will see that sort of thing countless times this season and I guarantee that we will never see a player sent off for it again.

Rice didn’t boot the ball away, he didn’t stand in front of a player for a long period of time to stop a free-kick being taken. He was walking away, had the ball deliberately knocked into him and then nudged it about a foot to his right. He then got deliberately kicked as well.

It was just a ridiculous decision from an over zealous official who was consistently awful throughout the 90 minutes. One that not only left Arsenal with 10 men for half of the contest, but also robbed them of their most important midfielder for the north London derby after the international break.

It was farcical to be honest and I just don’t understand how anyone can look at what happened and think the right decision was made.

Thoughts on Arsenal’s Champions League draw

The Champions League draw could have been worse for Arsenal. When you look at the fixtures, especially away from home, there was certainly the possibility that things could have been tougher for Mikel Arteta’s side.

But that’s not to say that they will cruise through their eight games. There are some tough looking trips there and so they will have to be at their best if they want to secure that all important top eight finish in the new format.

I thought Arsenal gave a decent account of themselves last season in their first season back in the Champions League. They just ran into a Bayern Munich team in the quarter-finals that had a bit too much experience and nous for them.

Having said that though, it was a tie that could have gone either way. Arsenal easily could have come out on top and made the semi-finals, which would have been an excellent achievement having been out of the competition for so long.

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29-year-old prices himself out of Man United move with €25m demands

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