England forward Raheem Sterling completed his transfer from Chelsea to their London rivals Arsenal on transfer deadline day. This came after coach Enzo Maresca informed the 29-year-old that he was surplus to requirements and would not play a role for Chelsea this season.
For Sterling, though he was thrown out of Chelsea, the Arsenal loan move is a big one for him because he is now at a club that can compete for titles and the Arsenal system has proven to work. The former Liverpool star will also be under Mikel Arteta, a coach he is very familiar with from his days at Manchester City.
Sterling even appreciated Arteta's work with Arsenal since he joined the club in December 2019.
“He’s(Arteta) a top guy, a top character,” Sterling said in his first interview. “I’ve been watching his journey because I spent some time with him at Manchester City, and to see him come in here and stamp his mark on this amazing football club, with this amazing history, it says a lot about him and the great job he is doing here.”
Now, away from the pleasantries, Sterling has to get going at Arsenal as soon as possible. Unlike Chelsea, the level he'll have to reach at Arsenal is much higher. Although he reached those heights when he was at Manchester City, Sterling's performance declined drastically at Chelsea.
With the Blues, the England international produced 19 goals and 12 assists in 81 appearances. Now while these are decent numbers for a winger, it is clear that he dropped significantly from his haul of 131 goals and 73 assists in 339 appearances at Manchester City, which was the major reason Chelsea even acquired his services in the first instance.
Aside from his statistics, some of Sterling's qualities during his years at Manchester went amiss at Chelsea last season. He was very erratic in one-on-one situations and his decision-making got poorer. He also missed a lot of chances, but that could be left out, as even at Manchester City, Sterling was never a great finisher.
Different clubs, different environments, but will Sterling be different?
Sterling's transfer to Arsenal is a step up because they are operating on a higher wavelength than Chelsea at the moment. While the Blues are still chopping and changing, trying different bits and pieces for their project, Arsenal looks like a club that has a properly laid out plan, they have a working system with Mikel Arteta, and the environment is controlled.
The environment at Arsenal is also much more different. The Gunners have established a winning mentality with Arteta in charge. And although the Spanish tactician has just one FA Cup to show in his five years, there are clear signs that Arsenal are onto something. In the past two seasons, they have drawn closer and closer to the Premier League title, pushing them until the final day of the campaign.
Many will be eager to see if Sterling will shine for the Gunners and Arsenal tickets will continue to sell fast as Arteta’s men chase for the title for the third season in succession.
How does Sterling fit into Arteta's team?
Although Sterling is joining a team he is not particularly used to, he is not a stranger to Arteta's system, which is close to what he had at Manchester City. It is also important to note that the England international enjoyed his best returns when Arteta was still at Manchester City (2016-2019).
The Gunners love to keep the ball and dominate play. They press high and attack the little spaces in opponents’ territory. Sterling thrived in this kind of system at City. At Manchester City, his bread and butter was beating defenders, running to the byline, and sending cut-backs into the box. Now, at Arsenal, he will have the opportunity to do that a lot because Arteta's system always creates situations where his attackers get the opportunity to go one-on-one with defenders. Nonetheless, he would have to improve on his dribbling. He was Chelsea's best dribbler last season, but it was a Chelsea side that was very poor and the creativity was low.
Meanwhile, another asset that Sterling has is his versatility. Although his major position is the right wing, the Englishman can also operate as a false nine. He showed this at Manchester City and Chelsea. This could come in handy because Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus would have to put on their A-game because they know that there is a Sterling that can replace them.
Sterling can also play from the right wing, which will give Arteta a different option if Saka is not playing well or he needs to tweak his system.
On the right wing, the former Liverpool man will give Arteta an option. There is a possibility that he will become a starter in a short time because Gabriel Martinelli has not been at his best for months. In terms of stats, Sterling has an edge over the Brazilian as he scored more goals than Martinelli last season, he won more fouls per game and he won more ground duels per game.
Sterling could even rise higher than Leandro Trossard who has proven that he plays his best football when he is introduced from the bench.
The 29-year-old Englishman has also won the Premier League multiple times, and Arteta could be banking on that experience when the chips are down for Arsenal.
Sterling may eventually turn out to be a masterstroke for Arsenal because of what he can bring to the game on his day. Right now, the Englishman is playing for his name and his legacy. There have been a lot of doubts about his quality, but he will be looking to prove his doubters wrong. He has also been thrown out of the English squad due to his loss of form, and that will be extra motivation.
If Arteta can press Sterling's right buttons and help him return to the peak of their powers, the Englishman could just be the final piece to land them the Premier League title this season.
