It is being claimed that two Premier League clubs turned down the chance to sign Raheem Sterling before he left Chelsea for a loan spell at Arsenal.
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Fell out of favour at Stamford BridgeOffered to teams in English top-flightReunited with Arteta at the EmiratesWHAT HAPPENED?
As the summer transfer window wound down, England international Sterling found himself in need of a move away from Stamford Bridge after falling out of favour under new Blues boss Enzo Maresca. Various destinations for the 29-year-old were mooted – with Manchester United said to be keen at one stage.
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In the end, Sterling ended up staying in London. He moved from the west of the English capital to the north, with Mikel Arteta prepared to take a calculated gamble on a player that he previously worked with when acting as one of Pep Guardiola’s assistants at Manchester City.
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Arsenal have put a season-long agreement in place, but that deal was only struck after others passed on the opportunity to add a four-time Premier League title winner to their ranks. According to , West Ham and Crystal Palace both snubbed the opportunity to enter into talks.
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That is because they had concerns regarding Sterling’s “physical age”, with the experienced forward having played a lot of football since bursting onto the senior scene at Liverpool when aged just 17. He also has 82 senior international caps to his name.