The England forward penned a loan deal with the North London side in the summer but has rarely featured under Arteta who has preferred talent from the academy rather than the 30-year-old who has much more experience. According to Mail Sport, Sterling was not drafted in as a starter initially; instead, he was told he would be a support option for both flanks while he was ready to play any role demanded of him.
Now, with the emergence of young stars such as Ethan Nwaneri the England international is not needed in a side that are chasing down the title. The report suggests Sterling is still pleased he made the move to Arsenal especially after his nightmare move to Chelsea, where he was pushed out of the squad by manager Enzo Maresca, where the PFA were called in, as well as employment lawyers to sort out the situation.
Arteta spoke recently about Sterling’s role which has changed over the years as he ages and develops as a player.
"The time in football flies. Things move and change and you have to do it again. Raz has been incredibly consistent in the last 10 years for the things he has done and now it's about doing it again.
"What has changed? On a personal level, not so much. But obviously it is different because of the role that he has right now and what we demand from each other. What Pep (Guardiola) used to demand from him is different because now I'm the person who makes the final call."
The 30-year-old is said to be an extremely hard worker in training and has a desire to work his way back into Arteta’s plans but with Nwaneri taking the spotlight his time is unlikely to come anytime soon. It is clear that his relationship is different compared to when Arteta was assistant coach at Manchester City between 2016 and 2019. If Sterling does want a place in the Arsenal side he will have to show the Spanish head coach his worth and take his limited chances on the pitch to prove he is worth keeping as the summer transfer window approaches.