Arsenal have strengthened their title challenge after rescuing Raheem Sterling from exile to Chelsea, who are set to bolster their winger ranks with the signing of Jadon Sancho from Manchester United on loan with an obligation to buy, but manager Enzo Maresca's hopes of signing a striker were thwarted by the club's failure to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli.
After another day of chaos and uncertainty in Chelsea's transfer window, the club could finally take satisfaction in finding a home for Sterling. Arsenal emerged as the favourites for the 29-year-old winger, whose transfer hopes had been complicated by his £325,000-a-week contract, and the season-long loan move was sealed just before 1:50am BST, with no loan fee required.
Negotiations with Chelsea accelerated on Friday night with Sterling quickly agreeing to join Mikel Arteta's side as Arsenal look to bolster their title challenge by adding depth to their attacking midfield.
Sterling had been an underachiever at Chelsea and was told there was no place for him in Maresca's plans – he was left out of the first-team squad and told he would not play a single minute under Maresca, who said he preferred a different type of winger.
Chelsea have a wealth of options on the flanks, raising questions as to whether there is space for Sancho in the squad. The former Borussia Dortmund winger is not in Erik ten Hag's plans and is committed to a move to Chelsea. The deal is set to become permanent at the end of the season for around £25 million. Sancho is set to become the 13th player to join Chelsea this summer, with the Blues thought to have agreed to foot the majority of his weekly wage of around £300,000.
Talks were held earlier this week about a Sterling-for-Sancho swap, with United also considering a separate deal to sign Carney Chukwuemeka from Chelsea. They were not interested in including England left-back Ben Chilwell in a deal for Sancho.
Chelsea have increased their attacking midfield options with the signings of Pedro Neto and Joao Felix, with Maresca already having Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku and Mihailo Mudrik to choose from.
There was still a desire to sign a top number nine to rival Nicholas Jackson. Chelsea officials tried all day to sign Osimhen but were unable to fit him into their wage structure. Osimhen has already had a failed move to Al Ahly. It remains to be seen whether he will join a Saudi Pro League side before the transfer window closes next week.
Chelsea were left with 18-year-old Marc Guiu as Jackson's replacement, with Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Aston Villa's John Duran and Brentford's Ivan Toney, whose £40 million move to Al Ahly was completed in the early hours of Saturday morning, also among the candidates. Maresca's request for a new centre-back also fell through.
At Stamford Bridge, the focus was on transferring unwanted players, with 25-year-old centre-back Trevoh Chalobah set to join Crystal Palace on loan and goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic loaned to Strasbourg, while Everton loaned Armando Broja with an option to buy after the striker's move to Ipswich fell through.
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Carney Chukwuemeka's attempts to find a new club were unsuccessful – the midfielder was the subject of interest from West Ham and Manchester United – while Chilwell stayed put.
Sterling's arrival at Arsenal allowed Eddie Nketiah to complete his move to Crystal Palace for an initial fee of £25 million, with a further £5 million potentially required. The English striker has been tracked by Palace for several years and was keen to move to Selhurst Park after turning down a move from Nottingham Forest earlier in the transfer window. His move could see Arsenal recoup nearly £90 million in the transfer window. Arsenal also sold Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham and Aaron Ramsdale to Southampton on deadline day for an initial fee of £18 million. Reiss Nelson has secured a season-long loan move to Fulham after turning down a move from Ipswich.
Arsenal have brought in Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto as a replacement for Ramsdale, but Arteta announced that Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino will be out for several weeks after suffering a suspected shoulder fracture in his first training session on Thursday. Sterling will miss Saturday's game against Brighton but would provide valuable experience if he is available. He is expected to compete with Gabriel Martinelli for a place on the left wing of Arteta's attack, but will also provide cover for centre-forward Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka on the right.
Nketiah joined Palace following the signing of centre-back Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg. Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone moved from Selhurst Park to Wolves, who then signed defensive midfielder Andre from Brazilian club Fluminense for £21 million. Leicester also signed striker Odsonne Edouard on loan from Palace.
