Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling is reportedly on Mikel Arteta’s list of Arsenal targets ahead of the January transfer window. The 26-year-old is no longer a sure-fire starter at the Etihad Stadium and has been tipped to leave in search of a new challenge in the near future.
Sterling made 49 appearances in all competitions last season but has been forced to share the wide positions with Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez and Ferran Torres as of late.
Arsenal boss Arteta enjoyed a strong relationship with the England man during his time on City’s coaching team and is keen on bringing him to north London, according to the Daily Star.
Sterling will be out of contract in the summer of 2023 and is yet to sign a new deal with the Premier League champions, with talks said to be progressing slowly.
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal will eventually move for the Kingston-born forward, who played a starring role for England at Euro 2020 over the summer.
The former Liverpool man played under Arteta’s guidance between 2016 and 2019, with City winning two Premier League titles in the process.
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Sterling admitted in October of last year that Arteta was an influential figure during that period and backed him to be a success at Arsenal thanks to his unwavering determination.
“I knew once he went into Arsenal that it would be a great opportunity for him, but also he would definitely implement what he wanted to bring in,” he said.
“And he’s a person that will put his foot down and not let things slide as you can see with the boys at Arsenal.
“They know if they don’t run, they are most likely not going to play.”
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Arteta has endured a mixed spell in charge of Arsenal since taking over at the Emirates Stadium in 2019.
He managed to seal an FA Cup triumph in his first season at the helm before limping to a disappointing eighth-placed finish last time around.
Arsenal started poorly at the beginning of the new campaign but appear to have finally turned a corner, with the Gunners now unbeaten in five matches in all competitions.
They were held to a one-sided goalless draw at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday evening, with Arteta insisting that his side did not deserve to win after the final whistle.
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“I think it was a point gained because I don’t think we deserved anything more than that,” the Arsenal boss told reporters.
“We did deserve the point because we defended really well the last 15 or 20 metres of our pitch, but in the end we never felt in control of the game.
“We struggled to break their press and get a good sequence of passes and impose ourselves in the final third and they made it really tough for us.”
Arsenal will be hoping to return to winning ways in their next Premier League outing against Crystal Palace after the international break.
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