Raheem Sterling's two reasons for rejecting Saudi transfer as Chelsea tactic backfires

Raheem Sterling turned down the chance to double his wages in Saudi Arabia as he favoured the chance of becoming a Premier League champion with Arsenal - as well as holding hopes of returning to the England fold.

The winger made a deadline day switch from Chelsea to the Emirates and will spend the season on loan in north London. It became clear he had no future in Blue under Enzo Maresca and he was left seeking a new club with time running out in the transfer window.

Mirror Football revealed that an unnamed Saudi Arabian club came in and were willing to pay Sterling a staggering £650,000-a-week but he turned it down and opted to remain in the top flight. Incredibly, Chelsea are understood to have sounded out a move to Saudi - but their tactic backfired as Sterling pushed to remain in England.

Indeed, his desire to help Arsenal overcome the final hurdle and finally become champion was a huge motivator. The Gunners have been firmly in the hunt for the past two seasons, taking the title race all the way to the final day last term. On both occasions though they were edged out by Manchester City - where Sterling himself claimed four titles at the Etihad.

On a personal level Sterling is also hoping to regain his spot in the England squad, setting himself a target of the World Cup in 2026. Previously the Arsenal new boy was a favourite under Gareth Southgate, playing in the Euro 2020 final, but then fell out of favour.

Sterling wasn't even picked for the Euros this summer with his club form - or lack of - potentially a factor with the 29-year-old not hitting the levels he did in Manchester under Pep Guardiola.

The winger has been capped 82 times by England but has not played for his country since December 2022 at the World Cup in Qatar. New interim manager Lee Carsley named his first squad this week and included the likes of Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka - who Sterling will look to usurp.

Back in the summer he said: "Of course, I love playing for England. It is one of the best feelings you can ever have. To see the boys out there brought me joy. To be honest they were the only games I watched - the England ones. I love playing for England. I am looking forward to getting back in the England set-up, that is for sure."

Arsenal chief Edu admits that Sterling wasn't on their radar before it became clear he wanted to move away from Chelsea. They moved late in the day to land his signature as he joins the likes of Jorginho and Kai Havertz in swapping blue for red in recent windows.