Revealed: How Arsenal staff REALLY feel about Raheem Sterling amid star’s struggles since completing loan move from Chelsea
- Raheem Sterling has failed to impress while on loan from Arsenal from Chelsea
- The winger has managed just one goal and two assists in 22 matches this term
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Is Alisson the best goalkeeper in the Premier League?
Raheem Sterling remains a ‘highly rated and respected’ member of the Arsenal squad by the Gunners coaching staff despite his on-field struggles, a report has claimed.
The England international has come in for criticism for his poor performances for the north London club since completing a loan move from Chelsea last summer.
Sterling has managed just one goal and two assists in 22 outings and has found gametime hard to come by even with the Gunners injury crisis in forward positions.
The 30-year-old has been afforded just 41 minutes of action in Arsenal’s last three matches, with the likes of youngster Ethan Nwaneri and midfielder Mikel Merino the preferred options in attack for Mikel Arteta.
However, Sterling retains the confidence of his coaches at the Emirates on account of his ‘professionalism and work rate in training’, according to The Sun.
The winger is reportedly ‘highly rated and respected’ and helps to ‘set high standards’ at the club.
Raheem Sterling remains a ‘highly rated and respected’ member of the Arsenal squad by the Gunners coaching staff despite his on-field struggles, a report has claimed
The 30-year-old has struggled to make an impact for the north London club since his loan move from Chelsea last summer
Sterling reportedly maintains a great relationship with Gunners manager Mikel Arteta and does not feel frozen out of the squad
Furthermore, the veteran is said to have worked ‘tirelessly’ to mentor the young players coming through, such as Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, and has been a calming influence in an otherwise cut-throat environment.
The report also claims that Sterling maintains a great relationship with Arteta and has never felt frozen out by the Spaniard, as he did at Chelsea when the Blues were keen for him to depart.
Sterling is likely to get a run out in the Champions League next week when the Gunners welcome PSV to the Emirates.
Arteta’s men enjoyed a record-breaking win over the beleaguered Eredivisie champions this week, triumphing 7-1 in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Arsenal are without star man Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli for coming weeks, while Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus will miss the remainder of the season with hamstring and knee injuries.
Amid this crisis, Sterling was handed a rare start in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Leicester last month but struggled for 69 minutes before he was replaced by the eventual match winner Merino.
Following the win, Arteta said that the side would be relying on the veteran to contribute to the ailing title challenge.
‘Raheem is so experienced, and like many other players, we know that what you did yesterday is not whether it was really good or not,’ he said. ‘That could be relevant to the next game, to the next action. He’s fully focused, he’s trained really well this week and [is] ready to go again.’
Two weeks on, the Gunners find themselves 13 points adrift of the leaders Liverpool. On Saturday afternoon, Arne Slot’s men have the chance to extend the chasm at the top to 16 when they welcome Southampton to Anfield before Arsenal travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United 24 hours later.
