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Mikel Arteta says he knew within 10 seconds of speaking to Raheem Sterling that he was the right signing for Arsenal and has warned the winger has a point to prove as he looks to revitalise his career.
Arsenal travel to Tottenham for Sunday’s north London derby with uncertainty over their starting line-up after captain Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori picked up injuries during the international break.
Sources told ESPN that the duo are likely to miss Sunday’s match but Arteta refused to rule out the players with Odegaard undergoing further scans on an ankle problem while Calafiori has a calf injury.
While Declan Rice is also suspended, there is one player whose availability is beyond doubt and that is Sterling, who joined Arsenal on final day of the transfer window on a season-long loan from Chelsea in a move that only came to light in the final hours of the transfer window.
Sterling was left out of interim manager Lee Carsley’s England squad and has spent nearly two weeks adapting to his new surroundings at Arsenal’s training base in London.
“He looks great. He has a lot of energy and a smile on his face as he does that. He wants to prove his point and when someone feels that in their stomach, you feel it immediately,” Arteta told a news conference on Friday.
“Obviously I don’t need to know anything more about his quality and what he can bring to the team.
“In his personal life a lot of things have changed, but with the player I felt a real surprise. In the first call I had with him, I knew in the first ten seconds that we had to sign him because he really wanted to.
“That was the only question that puzzled me: ‘At what stage in his career is he at?’ (But) after 10 seconds, I already knew before the next questions that we needed him here.
“What I see is hunger. He is a player who wants to play every minute of every game. When he doesn’t, he is not happy. He wants to play every day and I see that.
“His commitment and the energy level he brings to the team is a huge boost. You can feel it as soon as you walk in the door. We are better with him. He will make us better.”
Arteta signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract on Thursday, tying him to the club until 2027.
Asked if there was another job he would have left, Arteta said: “No, the emotional connection that I have, that my family and my children have, the experience I have with people is very strong.”
“We are going in the right direction and we have made great strides. We still have a lot to do and I feel that hunger from the owners, the board, all the players and all the staff here. That is the goal and the purpose.”
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