Mikel Arteta has revealed that new signing Raheem Sterling is giving Arsenal a ‘big boost’, predicting the forward to play a major role for the club this season.
After being frozen out by new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, Sterling sealed a deadline-day loan move to London rivals Arsenal in a bid to play more minutes.
Sterling reunites with his former Manchester City coach Arteta at the Emirates Stadium and brings incredible experience with him as a veteran of 123 goals and 62 assists in 379 Premier League games for the Cityzens, Liverpool and Chelsea combined.
The 82-time England international is yet to feature for his new club, but should be available for their trip to arch-rivals Tottenham in the North London derby on Sunday.
Sterling’s debut has become one of the major talking points ahead of this weekend’s clash, with reporters keen to know what the 29-year-old will offer to an Arsenal side with serious title aspirations.
“He looks great. First of all, because he has a big smile on his face, a lot of energy. He’s at it and he wants to prove a point,” Arteta told reporters on Friday (via BBC Sport).
“When someone has got that in his belly you sense it straight away. Obviously, I don’t need to discover anything about his quality and what he can bring to the team.”
The Spaniard added: “What I see is hunger. He is a player who wants to play every minute of every game. When that is not the case he’s not happy.
“He loves football; it’s something he likes doing every single day and I see that.
“His commitment and the level of energy that he is bringing into the team and the quality is a big boost. You can feel it in the players when he comes walking in the door that we are better with him. I think he is going to make us better.”
Of course, Sterling is primarily here to add another goalscoring option for Arsenal, who are looking to go one better than their consecutive second-place finishes from the last two seasons.
“He has this ability – that is a credit to him, but also the players he has got around him. You need that as a front player certainly,” said Arteta. “He has got that will [to score goals] and the ability to do that. I am sure he is going to impact the team.”
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