Why the Arsenal signing that’s ‘paid off big time’ is NOT Raheem Sterling – and it’s given them the financial firepower to outspend their rivals: ISAAN KHAN

Arsenal’s summer transfer deals lasted a few hours past the official deadline, until they finally confirmed the loan signing of Raheem Sterling from Chelsea. And thanks to a summer of clever dealings both on and off, they’re all set to go again in January.

The Gunners are in a very strong financial position, while their rivals struggle to adhere to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules.

Newcastle were forced to sell star player Anthony Gordon to Liverpool, but ultimately let go of promising youngsters Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson in a wild race before the June 30 deadline for the PSR.

Liverpool bought one player this summer, Federico Chiesa, for just £10m, while Manchester City also kept their powder dry, with the £21m transfer of Savinho from sister club Troyes the only major signing, despite raising £159m through sales.

But Arsenal are ready to go again, even after spending more than £100m to bring in four players, including the loan of Sterling.

“I think they are in a strong position (compared to their rivals),” says football finance expert Kieran Maguire Post Sportwho says Arsenal have ‘enough space’ regarding PSR.

‘That gives them flexibility. If they want to buy a player in January, they’re not one of those clubs that will be restricted. And they’re not going to be one of those clubs in June 2025, as we saw with Chelsea, Newcastle, Villa, Everton and Leicester this summer, who had to offload players because there was a real risk of them breaching the PSR.’

It comes after a major sell-off of players on the fringes of the first-team, with fan favourite Emile Smith Rowe joining Fulham for an initial £27m, Eddie Nketiah heading south of the Thames to Crystal Palace for £30m and goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale joining Southampton in a deal that could reach £25m.

They were followed by youth players Mika Biereth (£4m to Sturm Graz), Brooke Norton-Cuffy (£3.5m to Genoa), Reuell Walters (£500,000 to Luton) and Amario Cozier-Duberry (£500,000 to Brighton).

In addition, the £22.5million transfer of former Chelsea youth player Omari Hutchinson to Ipswich earned the Gunners a further £4.5million in sell-on clauses.

It amounts to a club record for sales, with revenues approaching £100m.

“They’ve managed to let go of players who realistically wouldn’t be in the starting XI,” Maguire said. “The amounts they’ve generated are reasonable, like Nketiah who went for £30m.”

Maguire estimates that Arsenal will also earn an extra £4m by playing an extra home Champions League group stage game in the expanded competition this season. This should offset some of the wage increases that will come as a result of returning to Europe’s elite competition.

Sales are one area where Arsenal have historically underperformed compared to their rivals.

Their record turnover remains Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s £35m move to Liverpool in 2017. But since Edu took over as technical director in July 2019, before becoming sporting director three years later, there has been an upward trend.

Smith Rowe was immediately included in Arsenal’s top five sales, while Nketiah and Ramsdale could join him if their add-on clauses are met.

It comes on top of the £28m paid to Alex Iwobi in 2019 and £25m paid to Joe Willock two years later, a clear sign that Arsenal are cashing in on their best youth talent.

The £100m raised this summer is a big step up from the 2020-21 (£23m) and 2021-22 (£35m) figures.

So the decisions in this window are thorough and well executed under Edu’s supervision.

He hasn’t quite got it all right and it must be said that fans don’t always see a well-stocked war chest as a positive thing, especially as many are clamoring for a big striker to seize his chance to finally dethrone Manchester City.

Arsenal were content without signing a striker, having previously considered Benjamin Sesko and Nico Williams, until Sterling became available at the end of the final day.

Edu has learned and grown into the role, his friendly nature and effort to connect with everyone in the club, regardless of seniority, has made a real impression.

The process began five years ago. The nine first-team terminations since Arteta took over in December 2019 have attracted attention, with names such as Nicolas Pepe (signed for a then-record £72m), Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang (£56m) and Mesut Özil (£42.5m) bought for princely sums.

That made the terminations that Edu approved controversial. It’s a serious amount of money to throw away.

But Maguire is convinced it was a good move and that it has helped him in the long run.

He said: ‘Arsenal managed to take players like Aubameyang and Ozil off the payroll two or three years ago, and that gave them flexibility.

‘They don’t spend money for the sake of spending money, as we’ve seen at other clubs.

“I think it was a logical step to make, and it also gave those players the opportunity to find another employer. People forget that they are professional athletes and they want to play at the highest level possible.”

Edu and Arsenal should be commended for their persistence in terms of asking prices this summer, and that strategy has paid off.

Nketiah was heavily linked with a move to Marseille, with the French club initially bidding £16.8m before eventually making a bid of £23m. That wasn’t enough for Arsenal, so the club pulled out.

Then Nottingham Forest came on the scene and they were willing to accept a fee of almost £30 million, although they could not agree terms with Nketiah.

Pressure and criticism from some fans within the club increased.

However, Edu did not give up, which led to Crystal Palace securing Nketiah in the final week after negotiations for £30 million, the price Arsenal wanted from the start.

The Gunners have also been far from soft on academy players who left when their contracts expired this summer. The club have gone to court seeking compensation for Walters, Cozier-Duberry and Chido Obi-Martin, the 16-year-old who rose to fame last season when he scored 10 goals against Liverpool’s academy and left the club for Manchester United this summer.

Of the signings in this transfer window, including defender Riccardo Calafiori and Sterling worth £42m, and making the loan of David Raya from Brentford permanent for £27m, Post Sport understands that Arsenal see Mikel Merino as a major asset.

The midfielder was signed from Real Sociedad for £31.6million and is in his prime at 28. Last season in La Liga, Merino won more aerial duels than any other player in Europe’s top seven leagues and made the most tackles in the final third.

Until the transfer window reopens on January 1, Arsenal can look back on a summer of hard work that has paid off.