Masterstroke from Edu as Arsenal will only pay £7.1m for star this season - it's a thing to be excited about

Arsenal had a relatively quiet summer transfer window with only four new additions to the squad.

The club initially confirmed a permanent deal for goalkeeper David Raya after his successful loan stint from Brentford.

This was followed by the signings of Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino from Bologna and Real Sociedad respectively.

The Gunners recruited Neto and Raheem Sterling on loan from Bournemouth and Chelsea on transfer deadline day.

The move for Sterling came as a surprise, given he was on a huge salary package of £325,000 per week (£16.95m per year).

However, sporting director Edu Gaspar may have pulled out a masterstroke with a late swoop for the winger.

According to ESPN, there is no loan fee or obligation to buy in the temporary agreement for Sterling.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will be paying £162,500 per week (as per Capology) which is 50% of Sterling’s package at Chelsea.

However, the 29-year-old only joined the club on August 30. His loan stint will effectively last for 305 days (until June 30).

Converting into weeks (43.57), the Gunners will end up paying around £7.1m (rounded-off figure).

In our view, Arsenal and Edu secured a good deal for Sterling, who could prove a valuable addition to the first-team squad.

The former Manchester City man bagged 10 goals and eight assists for Chelsea last term from 2,771 minutes.

This constitutes a goal contribution in every 154 minutes which is quite good for a wide player.

Sterling may not be an assured starter for the Gunners, but he could be a game-changer with the extra quality off the bench.

Leandro Trossard has done a similar role with aplomb at Arsenal. Sterling, who has a point to prove, could have the same impact.