Sterling won’t be going away with England during the international break, he wasn’t picked in Lee Carsley’s first squad, and he hasn’t played for his country since December 2022.
Instead, Sterling will work with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, another reason to think he’ll be deemed ready to face Spurs.
As well as repairing his reputation in the Premier League, perhaps Sterling does also envision a return to international football if things go well at Arsenal.
The 29-year-old is currently on 82 caps for England, and he would surely love to take that total beyond 100.
Of course, Sterling will face a tough fight to earn a spot at Arsenal, although he wouldn’t have moved to north London if he didn’t deem himself capable of doing so.
Micah Richards thinks Raheem Sterling can offer something Gabriel Martinelli doesn’t
When speaking on ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast, pundit Micah Richards actually considered how Sterling compares with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard at Arsenal – the two players he’ll be competing against.
And Richards didn’t hold back in stating that Sterling may prove as an upgrade on the pair in some respects.
Raheem Sterling of Chelsea Jorginho and Kai Havertz of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC at Emirates Stadiu...
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Richards said: “The one thing he has more than anyone is the timing of his runs. He will get more chances.
“So if you look at Martinelli, very good dribbler, if you look at Trossard, really good finisher, can change a game with his composure in front of goal, but Raheem has got pace and he can run in behind.
“And the timing of his runs are really good. So I think it could be a really good signing as long as he buys into everything that Arteta wants to do.”
Kai Havertz can benefit from Raheem Sterling arrival
As well as Richards being happy to see Sterling arrive at Arsenal, Kai Havertz must be pretty content too.
Havertz was incredibly complimentary about Sterling back in 2022 when the winger had just signed for Chelsea.
And in a snippet of his post-match interview, Havertz said: “It is nice to play with him. He has lot of experience and knows how to move, and it helps you a lot if you have such experienced players next to you. His style of play suits us very well.”
Evidently, Sterling is going to be a popular figure around north London, someone who will provide the kind of squad depth Arteta craved.
But it could still be a while before the winger is considered to be ahead of Martinelli and Trossard.
0 Comments