Raheem Sterling has been backed by former Gunners winger Theo Walcott. The ex-Arsenal man believes that the winger is in an environment where he will be appreciated.
Sterling joined Arsenal on a season-long loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day. The 29-year old was not called up for England during this international break and spent the week training with some of his new teammates. Sterling looked sharp in training videos posted on social media.
Walcott believes the signing will be a positive one for Arsenal. He is not alone, as former Arsenal defender William Gallas also backed the Englishman to succeed at the Emirates.
Raheem Sterling transfer is a perfect match – Theo Walcott
The Arsenal winger, who won two FA cups in his time at the club believes Sterling will be a perfect fit. Speaking on BBC Sport, Walcott backs Sterling to deliver in a more settled environment than at Chelsea:
“I look at the Raheem Sterling signing and think it’s absolutely a match made in heaven because Raheem is now in a stable group that dominates the ball and enjoys playing their football,”
“There’s no more chopping and changing managers or uncertainty of whether he is or isn’t going to play. There is definitely a togetherness within the whole group.”
Premier League winner brings solid attacking depth
Raheem Sterling adds a new dimension Arsenal did not have last season – depth. Arteta could not call on Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah to win games last season, while Sterling was able to get 8 goals and 4 assists in a “down” season.
Walcott also strongly believes being able to call on Raheem Sterling as an option off the bench will be crucial for Arsenal this season:
“The beautiful thing about Raheem is that he can play in any of those three positions up front or even in that 10 position behind the striker,” Walcott added.
“He’s going to be able to take a little bit of pressure off of [Bukayo] Saka because Saka plays a lot of football. He’ll put pressure on [Leandro] Trossard and [Gabriel] Martinelli to get in the starting 11.
“He’s a winner and is now in an environment where he is loved.”
The 29-year old could be immediately in line to start against Spurs this weekend in the North London Derby. With injuries to Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino, and Declan Rice out due to suspension, Sterling could easily slot into the attack with Kai Havertz moving into midfield – a role Mikel Arteta trusted the German with for most of last season.
