Raheem Sterling has made just 10 appearances for Arsenal this season (Image: Getty)
reportedly wants to fight for his place at Arsenal despite struggling for game time since joining on loan from . The former star has made only 10 appearances under this season.
The Gunners boss was excited about the opportunity to reunite with Sterling and snapped him up on a temporary deal when it became clear that the 30-year-old had no future at . Arteta and Sterling’s relationship dates back eight years when they worked together at City.
Sterling has been starved of action since completing the switch on deadline day, though. He has featured for only 146 minutes in the – the equivalent of just over a game-and-a-half. The exiled England international has scored once in two Carabao Cup appearances.
According to the , Sterling is keen to remain at the Emirates Stadium and fight for his place. He is determined to win a spot in Arteta’s starting 11 for the second half of the season.
The head coach has revealed that Sterling has been unfortunate not to play regularly. Arteta has said that he has had to prioritise managing other players’ fitness with his substitutions, meaning Sterling has not been able to come off the bench as much as he might have liked.
“He (Sterling) is very good in the dressing room and is absolutely desperate to play,” Arteta said last week.
“When he hasn’t started the games, 90 per cent of the subs that I make is related to saving minutes or because of injuries or avoiding injuries. It’s not tactical reasons.”
Sterling may get an opportunity to play in ’s forward line when they host Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup tomorrow (Wednesday). He has played all but nine minutes of the Gunners’ previous cup victories over Preston and Bolton.
Mikel Arteta is keen to get Raheem Sterling on the pitch more often for Arsenal (Image: Getty)
then travel to Palace in the on Saturday, perhaps handing Sterling another opportunity to play. He has an excellent record against the South Londoners, scoring 11 goals in 18 appearances – mostly for City.
It seems unlikely that would consider recalling Sterling from his loan at . He was banished from the first-team squad in the summer and was told he would not be part of ’s plans for the campaign.
Wingers Jadon Sancho, and Noni Madueke have all played well for the Blues, meaning there would be little opportunity for Sterling to feature should he return to Stamford Bridge.