RAHEEM STERLING joined Arsenal on loan with the hope of getting more minutes under his belt and lifting his confidence.
However, it hasn’t quite worked out that way.
Having fallen out of favour at Chelsea, the winger was looking for a new challenge to get his smile back.
But with limited minutes to his name, Sterling could leave the Emirates feeling disappointed.
In this weeks edition of Arsenal Files, Jordan Davies looks at Sterling’s time at the club as well as Ethan Nwaneri‘s influence and potential pre-season tour plans.
STERLING’S LACK OF CHANCES
More than anything, Sterling was desperate to build a real bond with the Arsenal fans when he joined on Deadline Day last summer, excited to start over after falling out of favour with Chelsea’s ownership.
A player in much need of love and support, the Emirates could have been the perfect fit.
Unfortunately, seven months into the season, it feels like he will never feel it – purely because he has had very few chances to build any momentum to leave a lasting impression on the Gunners supporters.
The call to switch from West to North London was a late one, and so the expectations of what Sterling was going to achieve had to be rational and realistic.
A unique opportunity presented itself that Sterling took with open arms, especially because the alternative was sitting in the reserves with Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca wanting a different profile of winger, or going to the Middle East – something that was never a consideration
At 30 years old, Sterling knew what his role would be under Mikel Arteta – a man he grew to respect and admire when working under him at Manchester City as an assistant under Pep Guardiola.
It was not about being the main man, the hero – a title he earned during an impressive seven-year stint at City that saw him lift four Prem titles and score 131 goals in 339 appearances.
At Arsenal, it was more about being a valuable asset to an already talented squad, using that winning mentality to help Arsenal go on to do the same.
And in many aspects, off the pitch in particular, he has executed that part as well as anyone.
SunSport understands that he is highly rated and respected by the coaching staff purely for his professionalism and work rate in training, setting standards high.
He has worked tirelessly to be a mentor for the young players coming through like Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly – a real calming influence in what is a pressurised, cut-throat environment.
He has been a likeable and happy presence around London Colney, building a real rapport with staff, thanks partly to his son being in the academy set-up there and loving life in London.
He has a great and honest relationship with Arteta.
He has never felt frozen out like he did at Chelsea, even when chances have not been presented to him – which is where the real issue lies.
Sterling never expected to start every week, but there is a recognition that had he been given more time to prove his worth, to build his confidence, Arsenal would be reaping more rewards, especially given their injury concerns now.
He has started just two games back-to-back this term, in October at home to Southampton and then away at Bournemouth – subbed off in the first half of the latter in a 2-0 defeat after William Saliba’s early red card.
From November 2 to January 12, he started just once – a 3-2 Carabao Cup victory against Crystal Palace – albeit with two weeks out during that period due to a minor knee issue.
Since then, opportunities have been rare. In one of just TWO games where he has played the full 90 minutes so far this season, he put in a promising performance in a 2-1 Champions League win at Girona on January 29, seeing a late penalty saved.
After a challenging display in the 2-0 Prem victory at Leicester on February 15, Arteta told reporters that Sterling needed to have a “big impact” on games with Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli all out injured.
And yet, in the next three matches, he was given a combined 41 minutes from the bench to do so.
Critics will say that one goal in 22 appearances is nowhere near good enough, but you can’t do much when you are consistently on the bench, thrown on as an impact sub looking to see out a game.
This is down partly to Arteta’s stubbornness as a coach, very rarely rotating even when he has an opportunity to do so – yet that could change for the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie against PSV next week with a comfortable 7-1 advantage.
The latter stages of that competition is where Sterling has historically shown up in his career, with eight goals in the knockouts, something Arteta should take into account.
Fellow Englishman Harry Kane has only recently overtaken that tally, scoring his ninth this week for Bayern Munich.
So, where does his future lie? SunSport understands that Sterling remains incredibly calm and focused on the present, knowing there are still plenty of games left this season to make his mark.
No conversation between club and player regarding his future has taken place just yet, nor has Chelsea been engaged.
Perhaps he will only be recognised fully for his achievements for club and country – winning 82 caps for England – once he hangs up his boots, yet Sterling is far from contemplating that just yet.
BAGS PACKED
Arsenal’s players were filmed boarding the plane for Eindhoven on Monday afternoon following a light training session at London Colney.
It is a familiar scene on Prem club social media platforms ahead of a European trip – footballers all smiles strolling across the tarmac, usually clutching a shiny leather holdall or travel bag.
Some of these bags are eye watering in price. In the clip, Brazilian defender Gabriel’s appears to be a carrying a brown Louis Vuitton bag that usually costs around £2k.
And yet, when the camera flicks to Italian Riccardo Calafiori, he has – slumped over his right shoulder – an Arsenal-branded bag from the club retail shop costing just £90.
SunSport understands that Calafiori sometimes opts to use club retail range luggage on match days instead of a more luxurious personalised one.
It appears to be doing the trick, the full-back scoring the seventh of Arsenal’s record-breaking 7-1 win over PSV – popping up on the right wing with an Erling Haaland-style finish.
With a Champions League quarter final spot all-but confirmed, Calafiori should be getting some more use out of that bag in the coming weeks.
ASIA SUMMER PLANS
Arsenal are putting together their pre-season plans, with a switch from the United States to Asia this summer potentially on the cards. Hong Kong is an option.
Last year, the Gunners played Bournemouth and Manchester United in Los Angeles and Liverpool in Philadelphia across seven days in late July.
But the staging of the upcoming Club World Cup in the USA from June 14 to July 13 across 11 host cities has complicated another trip across the pond.
There are suggestions Asia could now play host to the first ever North London Derby outside of the UK with Tottenham likely to be in that area with Aussie boss Ange Postecoglou.
One of the venues that could hold the match is the newly-developed Kai Tak Sports Park – the 50,000 capacity stadium with a customisable pitch system and retractable roof was only opened on March 1.
And a spokesperson from the Hong Kong government has exclusively told SunSport: “We are in active discussion to bring world-class football matches to be staged at the new Kai Tak Stadium. Details will be announced in due course.”
Arsenal’s last pre-season in Asia was in the summer of 2018 – Unai Emery’s first months in charge after replacing Arsene Wenger – where they played Atletico Madrid and PSG in Singapore.
WAYNE’S WORLD
Ethan Nwaneri is growing into his role as one of the Prem’s most exciting young players, scoring his eighth goal of the season in all competitions away in Eindhoven.
He is now just one behind matching Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen’s record of netting nine senior goals before turning 18.
Seventeen-year-old Nwaneri has 14 days to go and beat that before his birthday on March 21.
Rooney – the Manchester United and England great – was a pundit for Amazon at the Philips Stadion to watch Nwaneri find the net in the 7-1 thumping of PSV, and was very impressed.
But how do the pair compare? There is a pleasing symmetry in terms of their first senior goals – both scoring twice in a League Cup tie.
Rooney got his for Everton away at Wrexham in a 3-0 win in October 2002. Nwaneri bagged his brace in September 2024 in a 5-1 victory at home to Bolton.
Where Nwaneri perhaps has the edge is that Rooney’s other seven came solely in Prem games – home and away against Arsenal as well as the likes of Leeds and Newcastle.
Nwaneri meanwhile has strutted his stuff in the Champions League already, scoring against PSV and also Girona in January.
Rooney would likely argue that he was scoring against the reigning Prem champions Arsenal in October 2002 when he was still only 16.
Owen perhaps was on another level entirely, scoring a hat-trick against Grimsby in the League Cup in November 1997 as part of his nine, going on to share the Prem Golden Boot with Dion Dublin and Chris Sutton with 18 goals as well as the Prem Player of the Season.
How fitting would it be if Nwaneri scores his ninth goal to equal the record at Old Trafford against Manchester United on Sunday – the place where Rooney become a global superstar.
Also, both Rooney and Owen had their breakthroughs a year before going to light up a major tournament for England at Euro 2004 and the 1998 World Cup respectively.
Will Nwaneri do enough to get his chance under Thomas Tuchel in 2026?
