Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta claimed that Raheem Sterling was going to make his side “better”, but his latest snub has only made the statement look more bizarre.
The experienced winger has struggled since his switch to the Emirates Stadium, only showing brief spells of quality in the few opportunities he has gotten.
The lack of minutes won’t have helped Raheem Sterling build any momentum, but that in turn has seen him put in very few good performances.
After a difficult start, the latest brutal snub came as Sterling was an unused substitute in Arsenal’s draw with Manchester United.
Despite chasing the game, Mikel Arteta opted for Kieran Tierney as a make-shift left-wing option instead.
It was something of a damning indictment of Sterling’s time at Arsenal so far, which has only made the comments on his arrival age poorly.
Mikel Arteta said Raheem Sterling would make Arsenal better
While Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has seemingly made little use of Raheem Sterling, even with a prevailing injury crisis in the forward areas, it has brought about questions about the move in its entirety.
Hindsight is always a great judge, but the manager’s comments about the transfer after it was confirmed now appear to be baffling.
He told the media on Sterling’s arrival: “He looks great. He’s got a lot of energy, a smile on his face and he’s at it. He wants to prove a point and when someone’s got that in his belly you sense it straight away.
“Obviously I don’t need to know anything else about his quality and what he can bring to the team.
“In his personal life, a lot of things have changed but with the player, I was really surprised. The first call I had with him I knew in the first ten seconds we have to bring him because he really wanted it.
“That was my only question mark: ‘What stage is he at in his career?’ after 10 seconds, I knew already before the next questions that we needed him here.
“What I see is hunger. He’s a player that wants to play every minute of every game. When that’s not the case, he’s not happy. He wants to play every single day and I see that.
“His commitment and the level of energy that he’s bringing to the team is a big boost. You can feel it walking through the door. We are better with him. He’s going to make us better.”
So far though, with just a couple of months of the season left, Sterling has failed to make Arsenal a better outfit, even when players are out injured.
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What Raheem Sterling said about Arsenal transfer
The move hasn’t seemingly worked out for any of the parties involved, not least Sterling who looks set to return to Chelsea in the summer.
The forward will need to find a way to discover that spark in his play again, something he was hopeful Arsenal could provide.
When making the switch in August 2024, he said: “It’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s really exciting. It is one where we kind of left it late, but it’s one I was hoping for.
“Looking at everything, I’m just, like, ‘this is a perfect fit for me’, and I’m super happy that we got it over the line.”
In the end, though, it appears as though the fit hasn’t been quite perfect enough, with his future now up in the air.
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