The Gunners signed off on deals for David Raya, Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, Neto and Raheem Sterling before the transfer window deadline at 11pm last Friday, spending around £91 million on the five new arrivals who could seriously bolster Mikel Arteta's hopes of winning a Premier League title.
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82-cap star holds talks with Arteta about joining Arsenal on deadline day
Sterling's arrival in particular comes as their most high-profile, headline-grabbing move of the last few months, with the experienced England star joining them on a season-long straight loan with no reported buy option.
Raheem Sterling's all-time stats for Chelsea
Goals
19
Assists
12
Yellow cards
13
Red cards
0
Minutes played
5,335
The 29-year-old was unable to contribute in Arsenal's latest contest, though, having not been registered on time to take part in their 1-1 draw at home to Brighton. Joao Pedro's second-half equaliser regrettably cancelled out Kai Havertz's excellent lobbed finish in the opening 45, with star midfielder Declan Rice also sent off after receiving two yellow cards.
It was ultimately a frustrating afternoon for Arteta, who is now preparing for two blockbuster clashes against Tottenham and Man City. Indeed, two of their fiercest rivals await Arsenal after the international break in back-to-back away trips, and if things go wrong, it could spell a pretty disastrous start to the Premier League campaign.
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After Arteta held personal talks with Sterling over joining Arsenal, the Spaniard seemingly convinced him to make the switch to north London, and supporters will be hoping the ex-City star can showcase his very best against his former club and in the north London derby.
Overall, we can safely suggest that sporting director Edu Gaspar did a solid job in the summer window, as Arsenal's left-side is also seriously strengthened after the arrivals of both Calafiori and Merino.
Wojciech Szczesny publicly confirms talks over joining Arsenal in the summer
Brazilian shot-stopper Neto is also a solid backup option to Raya between the sticks, but according to now-retired goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, Arsenal could've brought him back to north London instead.
Speaking to Polish news outlet Meczyki, Szczesny admitted that he held talks over joining Arsenal before deadline day, but the potential reunion just didn't feel right enough for him - later deciding to hang up his gloves, calling time on an impressive career.
"I was open to talks with Arsenal because of the respect and sentiment for the club," said the 'keeper.
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"But when I started talking, I knew it wasn't for me. The Arsenal option came up before the Juventus contract was terminated. I said: 'OK, we can talk.' But two days later I said it didn't make much sense."
The 34-year-old managed 84 caps for his country and made 438 total appearances for his clubs at senior and academy level - including 181 showings for the Arsenal first team.
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