It can be said that Raheem Sterling's loan period at Arsenal did not go smoothly. Coach Mikel Arteta certainly cannot be satisfied with the English striker.
When Sterling was left out of Chelsea's squad last summer, despite having signed for the Stamford Bridge side just a year before, Arteta was betting on the 30-year-old.
Arteta and Sterling worked together at Manchester City during the peak of the Englishman's career. Both of them knew each other well and Arteta knew he could exploit Sterling's abilities to the fullest.
But Sterling's time at the Emirates has been like a disaster. He struggled to find his best form, scoring just one goal in 28 games. By the end of the season, the 30-year-old striker was almost no longer selected by Arteta.
However, the difficulties on the pitch did not deteriorate the relationship between this player and the club. However, he is unlikely to return to the Emirates, whether under a loan deal or a long-term contract.
Sterling's son, Thiago, is joining the Arsenal academy and will play for the U9 team in the hope of following his father's example to become a Premier League player in the future.
This news was announced by Sterling's partner, Paige Milian, on social media. She also shared family photos with about 100,000 followers on her Instagram.
Milian took a photo of Thiago holding an Arsenal shirt next to his 6-year-old brother and said: "I am extremely proud that my first son, Thiago, has signed for the Arsenal U9 team."
However, Sterling's future is still uncertain. With Chelsea moving to a young squad this season, Sterling will have a hard time getting a place at Stamford Bridge next season.
Arsenal are preparing for an important summer. They want to become Premier League champions after winning second place for 3 consecutive years. Arteta had to regret seeing Liverpool win the title, but the problems in the team are still very clear.
Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao is currently Arsenal's main target in finding a left winger. Several Premier League stars are also on the Emirates' watch and will depend on the developments of the summer transfer window.
"We have a number of players whose contracts are about to expire. We can extend them as we have done in the past. We are always actively developing the squad and understanding what the players want to do when their contracts are about to end. We have to prepare for everything, including not being able to keep them," said Arteta.
