Arsenal are improving with their young contingent, but having the youngest average age squad in the Premier League will always come at some cost. To bridge the gap and cement a top four spot, Arsenal would greatly benefit from signing a world class player in his prime.
But who fits the bill? Look no further than Raheem Sterling, whose future at Manchester City appears in question.
Sterling seems to have been on the scene for a very long time, but he’s only turning 27 in December. His best performances in recent years seem to have come for England, where he has been the talisman of the side.
For City, he’s had more competition for places and the arrival of Jack Grealish has made that even more the case. City will no doubt either try again for Harry Kane in January or soon be looking to secure Erling Haaland, so they may be looking to cash in on Sterling, who has dropped down the pecking order for Pep Guardiola in recent months.
Arsenal have a lot of attacking talent, but the fact is, they lack goals. Most of the Gunners forwards are either very young, or at the twilight of their careers. Sterling would crucially be arriving at his peak. This would help the team with balance, leadership, quality and consistency in attack as they bid to move back towards the top of the table. Acting as a mentor for the likes of Martinelli and Saka, you would expect that Sterling’s arrival would be beneficial to Arsenal’s young forwards.
So where would he play? Sterling’s versatility would be huge for Arsenal. He could feature on the left, right or even through the middle. It would take the reliance off of the likes of Saka, Pepe and Aubameyang to be scoring every week and take the Gunners up a level in terms of attacking threat.
But Sterling’s best position is at left wing, and that’s an area Arsenal lack a definitive starter. Martinelli looks too raw, Saka and Pepe both look better on the right and Smith Rowe perhaps more comfortable in a central role. Sterling’s arrival would provide a significant boost in this area of the pitch.
The key element to this potential deal and perhaps the only reason Arsenal have a chance of bringing a Champions League level player to the club, is the players relationship with boss Mikel Arteta.
Remember Sterling’s best football was played during Arteta’s years as a coach at City, and Pep Guardiola attributed much of Sterling’s success to Arteta coaching work with the Englishman.
Sterling is valued at £81million on transfermarkt, and you would expect it to take about that amount to convince City to part with him.
But if Arteta is allowed one big money signing and Sterling is available, you can be sure the Spaniard would have Raheem right at the top of his list.