Raheem Sterling has sent a message to Arsenal's supporters after the club confirmed the winger will return to Chelsea upon the completion of his loan deal.
The former Liverpool and Manchester City winger signed for the Gunners on a season-long loan last summer, with Mikel Arteta keen to work with the 30-year-old once more. Things did not quite work out at Emirates Stadium for Sterling, however, as he struggled to make any real impact during his time on the pitch.
The four-time Premier League winner made 28 appearances in all competitions for the north Londoners, although many of those were cameo appearances off the bench. In that time, Sterling scored once and set up a further five goals. His only goal in an Arsenal shirt came in the 5-1 win over League One side Bolton in the Carabao Cup third round back in September last year.
Arsenal confirmed their retained list for the 2025/26 season on Wednesday, with Sterling, Neto, Jorginho and Kieran Tierney among the first team stars leaving the club upon the expiry of their contracts on June 30. Following the news, Sterling took to Instagram to send an eight-word message to supporters.
"Thank you for making my family feel welcome [love heart emoji] @arsenal," the forward wrote. Alongside the message Sterling shared a number of pictures from his time with the club, with the winger seen smiling with the likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Declan Rice.
Sterling will now return to Chelsea, where his future is uncertain after Enzo Maresca made it clear last summer that he did not see him as part of his plans. Sterling's contract at Stamford Bridge runs until 2027.
In Arsenal's statement on Wednesday, the club confirmed they would be releasing a number of youth stars. The listed players include: Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, Reece Clairmont, Khayon Edwards, Jakai Fisher, Romari Forde, Jimi Gower, Jack Henry-Francis, Max Kuczynski, Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand, Ismail M’Hand, Brian Okonkwo, Elian Quesada-Thorn and Zacariah Shuaib.
Thomas Partey's contract is also set to expire on June 30 but the club are currently in discussions with the midfielder's camp over a possible extension. "Any further developments regarding players extending their contracts, as well as joining/re-joining, or leaving us, will be officially communicated when confirmed," Arsenal said.