Though Raheem Sterling remains professional and respectful behind the scenes at Arsenal, the current expectation is that he won’t stay beyond the end of the season.
Sami Mokbel reports for the Daily Mail that sources at Arsenal suggest Raheem Sterling has maintained his professionalism despite his inconsistent minutes and injury troubles during his loan spell so far.
Though sitting on the bench so much hasn’t been easy, everyone says he’s been respectful and encouraging to those that have been playing.
Yet Mokbel adds that with Arsenal looking to strengthen in forward areas, it appears likely Sterling’s spell will come to an end this summer. On top of that, Chelsea have made it clear he isn’t part of their plans either.
According to the same report, Sterling is currently suffering from a crisis of confidence, finding it difficult to avoid all the off-field attention on his situation.
Mikel Arteta isn’t writing the winger off, particularly given Arsenal’s current injury situation. The Gunners need the 30-year-old back at his best.
But the winger has struggled to show anything like his best on his loan so far, with a goal and two assists from 13 appearances (six starts).
Now is the time to turn things around. Once Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka eventually return to fitness, opportunities on the right are likely to be much more limited, with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard blocking Sterling’s path on the left.
Sterling needs to find form and start proving his importance before that, or his summer departure really will become a foregone conclusion.