Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes the club should avoid signing Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling this summer. Petit dismissed the idea of the 29-year-old joining the Gunners as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his attacking options before the transfer window closes.
Sterling’s position at Chelsea is uncertain, especially after being excluded from Enzo Maresca’s squad for their Premier League opener against Manchester City on Sunday. His representatives reacted angrily to the decision, which saw him left out of the 20-man squad.
Chelseaâs management has supported Maresca’s choice to omit Sterling and is now considering selling the England international, though his high wage demands pose a challenge. Juventus has been linked with Sterling, and Barcelona has recently emerged as a potential suitor.
Although Arsenal had previously shown interest in Sterling, who netted 10 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea last season, Petit has downplayed the chances of the Gunners pursuing the winger before the transfer window shuts.
Speaking to TEAMTalk, Petit stated, “No, Arsenal wonât sign Sterling. Since leaving Liverpool, Sterling hasn’t shown significant improvement at Manchester City or Chelsea. While he can produce big moments, his performances lack consistency. He still needs to work on his final ball and scoring more goals; that’s the main issue.”
“This is something that Mikel Arteta will not want in his team, he wants young and hungry players, Sterling wonât improve more than another young winger.”
Arsenal have already secured the signings of David Raya, who made his loan move permanent for ÂŁ27 million from Brentford, and Riccardo Calafiori, who joined for ÂŁ42 million from Bologna this summer. With the imminent arrival of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad, the Gunners might now focus on adding a new attacker to their squad.
However, former Arsenal star Lauren has urged Edu to also bring in a new winger and a center forward to support Bukayo Saka. He emphasized the importance of providing Saka with both competition and opportunities to rest, saying, “It would be good to have another player there [for Saka]. The competitiveness is great, but itâs also about giving him some rest.”
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You play for the national team, you play in the league, you play in the Champions League, you play FA Cup, you play so many competitions this year. So you need maybe another player so that Saka can have some rest.
“You have players in the squad who can play on the right in place of Saka. Itâs more about how Arteta will design the whole season in order to give the right games so as to get the best out of Saka and also give him rest.”
