Raheem Sterling reportedly wants to fight for his place at Arsenal despite struggling for game time since joining on loan from Chelsea. The former Manchester City star has made only 10 appearances under Mikel Arteta this season.
The Gunners boss was excited about the opportunity to reunite with Sterling and snapped him up on a temporary deal when it became clear that the 30-year-old had no future at Chelsea. Arteta and Sterling’s relationship dates back eight years when they worked together at City.
Sterling has been starved of action since completing the switch on deadline day, though. He has featured for only 146 minutes in the Premier League - the equivalent of just over a game-and-a-half. The exiled England international has scored once in two Carabao Cup appearances.
According to the Evening Standard, Sterling is keen to remain at the Emirates Stadium and fight for his place. He is determined to win a spot in Arteta’s starting 11 for the second half of the season.
The Arsenal head coach has revealed that Sterling has been unfortunate not to play regularly. Arteta has said that he has had to prioritise managing other players’ fitness with his substitutions, meaning Sterling has not been able to come off the bench as much as he might have liked.
“He (Sterling) is very good in the dressing room and is absolutely desperate to play,” Arteta said last week.
“When he hasn’t started the games, 90 per cent of the subs that I make is related to saving minutes or because of injuries or avoiding injuries. It’s not tactical reasons.”
Sterling may get an opportunity to play in Arsenal’s forward line when they host Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup tomorrow (Wednesday). He has played all but nine minutes of the Gunners’ previous cup victories over Preston and Bolton.
Arsenal then travel to Palace in the Premier League on Saturday, perhaps handing Sterling another opportunity to play. He has an excellent record against the South Londoners, scoring 11 goals in 18 appearances - mostly for City.
It seems unlikely that Chelsea would consider recalling Sterling from his loan at Arsenal. He was banished from the first-team squad in the summer and was told he would not be part of Enzo Maresca’s plans for the campaign.
Wingers Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke have all played well for the Blues, meaning there would be little opportunity for Sterling to feature should he return to Stamford Bridge.