Raheem Sterling was dreaming of a phone call to join Arsenal and prove his doubters wrong, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has said.
Sterling, who has signed a season-long loan deal from Chelsea, is poised to be handed a mouth-watering debut for his new side when they travel to rivals Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday.
Speaking ahead of the crunch north London Derby, Arteta revealed he was convinced Sterling was in the right frame of mind to join Arsenal’s push for silverware after just 10 seconds on the phone to the 29-year-old England international.
💬 “His commitment, the level of energy that he’s bringing to the team and the quality is a big push."
Mikel on Raheem's influence since joining the group 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 13, 2024
“His first words were: ‘I was dreaming about this call’,” said Arteta. “That’s it. That tells you that he really wants it and was already thinking about the possibility and he could see himself here, delivering and enjoying his profession.
“After 10 seconds I knew we had to bring him (to Arsenal) because he really wanted it, and that was my only question mark, what stage is he at in his career? But after 10 seconds I knew.
“He looks great. He has got a big smile on his face, a lot of energy and he wants to prove a point. When someone has got that in their belly you sense it straight away. I don’t need to discuss his quality and what he can bring to the team.”
Sterling, a four-time Premier League winner with Manchester City, scored 14 goals in 59 appearances at Chelsea, but he was frozen out by new Blues manager Enzo Maresca.
The winger has not played a competitive match in almost four months, and he won the last of his 82 England caps nearly two years ago.
“His confidence is going to fluctuate, as it does in everybody’s career,” admitted Arteta, who worked with Sterling at City.
“Knowing him and how he is, it is about always playing, always being present and that is important to him.
“When you have that status and role, and for that to be changed, that hits you. We have to rebuild that but we have all the foundations and right context for him to get to the level we want.
“We are going to try to give him everything that we believe is going to help him and empower him to get the best version of him. We will see daily how that looks.”
