Raheem Sterling might be struggling on the pitch, but he’s having a positive impact on Ethan Nwaneri behind the scenes, according to a report.
John Cross reports for the Mirror that despite Raheem Sterling’s poor form on the pitch for Arsenal, club staff like him, and he’s a good influence on the Gunners’ younger players.
Sterling reportedly has a rapport with Bukayo Saka, and Ethan Nwaneri looks up to him. Cross writes that no one has encouraged Nwaneri more than Sterling.
It’s worth pointing out that whilst Sterling hasn’t contributed too much on the pitch so far this season, he did set up Nwaneri’s first Arsenal goal in senior football, a League Cup goal against Bolton Wanderers.
Later in the campaign, Sterling then assisted Nwaneri’s first Premier League goal against Nottingham Forest. Those remain his only two assists for Arsenal, but they were two milestone passes in Nwaneri’s young career.
The pair worked together in the early rounds of the League Cup, and now they need to do the same in the Premier League and Champions League, with Saka and Gabriel Martinelli seemingly out until April.
As for Sterling’s individual form, Cross reports that those close to him and those that see him in training at Arsenal laugh off the idea that he’s suffering from burnout. He just hasn’t found a way to translate his training levels into matches, likely due to a lack of confidence.
Arsenal fans can only hope that assessment is correct, and that the player will find his feet very quickly over the coming games.