Sterling, frozen out at Chelsea and allowed to join their London rivals on loan, could make his debut for the Gunners in the north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
"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," said Arteta.
"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."
Sterling has not played a single minute this season after not featuring in new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca's plans - rocking the boat by issuing a statement calling for clarity on his situation hours before his side's Premier League opener against Manchester City.
The 29-year-old four-time Premier League winner with Manchester City was criticised for his action, but Arteta said he could understand the England international's frustration.
"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," the Spaniard said.
Arsenal dropped points to Brighton and Hove Albion in their last match before the international break - a match in which midfielder Declan Rice was red-carded meaning he will miss out on Sunday's derby at Tottenham.
Arteta is also likely to be without captain Martin Odegaard who suffered an ankle injury playing for Norway, although he offered some optimism on Friday, suggesting that the playmaker could still play some part.
"We need some more tests. Let's see what happens in the next day or so. This afternoon probably," Arteta told reporters.
"Let's see the extent of the injury and how quickly we can get him back. Martin wants to be here every day but we have to wait and see. I leave that to the doctor.
"We need to make sure we know first how good he is or not. Players with 48 hours are always available. Let's see."
Arteta has guided Arsenal to back-to-back runners-up finishes behind Manchester City in the Premier League and this week signed a three-year contract extension.
"I'm really happy and excited. It shows the alignment between the club and the coaching staff," Arteta, whose side have picked up seven points from their first three games, said.
"We enjoy working together and we have higher ambitions that we want to fulfil."
Arteta said Gabriel Jesus is available for selection against Tottenham after missing the games against Aston Villa and Brighton because of a groin injury.
"He's got another session tomorrow and if everything goes well he will be ready to be selected in this squad which is great news for us," Arteta said.
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