Raheem Sterling joined Arsenal on loan before last month’s transfer deadline, but the Chelsea outcast has been warned that he is unlikely to play a major role at his new club
Mark Lawrenson has warned Raheem Sterling that he is unlikely to play a prominent role for Arsenal this season.
The 82-cap England star emerged as a surprise target for the Gunners on transfer deadline day after being frozen out by new Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca and has since signed up to spend the season at The Emirates.
Sterling has been brought in to compete with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard for a wide attacking role and has played in matches against both Tottenham and Atalanta since joining.
But Lawrenson doesn’t think he’ll be getting more minutes moving forward and will instead be used purely as a back-up player by Mikel Arteta.
Speaking to Paddy Power, the former Match of the Day pundit said: “At Arsenal, I think Raheem Sterling will solely be used for squad depth, I don’t see him breaking into the starting team. I’d imagine that the manager will have already told him that he’ll be a 25-minute man each week and that will be it, unless he does well when he gets a chance.
“I’ve been quite impressed with Arsenal in recent years and they know that the game against Manchester City this weekend is a massive game for them and I have a feeling that they will go to the Etihad and take home all three points.”
With Arsenal chasing their first domestic title in more than 20 years, Sterling’s wealth of experience has been touted as a plus for a team which came agonisingly close to beating Manchester City to the Premier League crown last year.
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Sterling won four titles during his time at The Etihad and while some have expressed doubts over his signing, Arteta revealed that he had no doubts about doing a deal for a player he worked closely with during his time on the City coaching staff.
“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.”
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