Two shock Premier League clubs turned down chance to sign Raheem Sterling before Arsenal move as fears over his 'physical age' emerge

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.

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.

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 The Independent, West Ham and Crystal Palace both snubbed the opportunity to enter into talks.

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.

Arteta has no such concerns, having seen how hard Sterling works away from the field, and opted to make a move for a player that he knows well as Arsenal are eager to ensure that they have enough proven cover at their disposal to offer Bukayo Saka the odd well-earned break from competitive action.