For a Football London article, Raheem Sterling to Arsenal was simulated on Football Manager 2021. The experiment was designed to determine the impact he would have if the move ever materialized.
After half a decade of productivity at Manchester City, the 26-year-old English man has earned his stripe as a world-class player. Sterling already has three Premier League titles, five Carabao Cup medals, and an FA Cup trophy.
However, things have not been rosy for Sterling at the Etihad this season. He has only started two matches in all competitions and has scored just one goal in 10 appearances. Factor in the difficulty in negotiating a contract renewal and you might see a clear picture as to why his head is not in the game.
With the amount of talent at Pep Guardiola’s disposal, it is no surprise how quickly you’re out of the team for poor form or behavioral issues.
Raheem Sterling may benefit from a fresh start away from The Etihad this winter transfer window. A player of his caliber does not sit down on the bench for an entire season. Considering Man city would not want such highly valued personnel to walk away on a free, they might consider cashing out this winter window.
A move to Arsenal could be the best bet for Raheem Sterling. For all of the wonderful talents lining up in attack for the Gunners, they do not have a player of Sterling’s quality. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s dwindling form and Pepe failing to live up to his lofty price tag, a move for a world-class player like Sterling could just be the catalyst to kick-start the gunners rebuilding process.
He has spoken a few times in glowing terms about the current Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta. He acknowledges the Spaniard’s effort in molding him into the player he has become. They had a good working relationship at the Etihad, and such partnership will most likely yield fruits at the Emirates.
Also, Arsenal needs to up their homegrown quota, something that signing Raz can also help with. He is guaranteed to contribute goals and assists that can take Arsenal back to the Champions League spots. He is also a proven winner of several titles and a key player for the English national team. The chance to lead the Arsenal attack with support from Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe, etc should be an exciting prospect for Sterling. He is already very experienced and might be the leader on the pitch that these youngsters need to take their game to the next level.
If you factor in his public affection for London city, this transfer is a match made in heaven. If Arsenal is truly serious about their rebuilding process, they’d go all out in the winter transfer window to bring in a Sterling.
