Mikel Arteta takes blame for ‘stinking’ Arsenal signing being labelled ‘flop’ in bite back at pundit

Mikel Arteta has defended Raheem Sterling and taken responsibility for his lack of minutes after the Arsenal loanee was labelled one of the ‘flops of the season’ by pundit Stan Collymore.

Sterling completed a surprise loan move to London rivals Arsenal on transfer deadline day last summer after being completely frozen out by new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.

Maresca categorically told Sterling that he was not in his plans for the season, leaving the former England winger out of his squad altogether for the Premier League opener against Manchester City.

Sterling subsequently completed a loan switch to The Emirates in the hope of becoming a first-team regular under Mikel Arteta, but he has started only two Premier League outings so far.

That lack of game time saw former Liverpool forward Collymore take Arsenal to task over the signing, telling Metro: “Raheem Sterling has been a massive disappointment. He came in and said he was going to give the club his best work, but that hasn’t happened.

“He’s arguably stunk the place out so far and he’s definitely one of the flops of the season having promised to do his best work at Arsenal. He’s an experienced player who has won everything there is to win, he was expected to push the dressing room up another level and he hasn’t done that.”

Arteta, however, opted to take the blame for Sterling’s failure to make a major impact in north London when speaking prior to Saturday’s crushing win over West Ham, saying:  “I would like to see him more to be fair and this is down to me. He’s trying his best.

“His application and commitment around the team has been exceptional and now it’s time for me to find him more minutes.”

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Arteta planning on more game time for Sterling

Sterling came on as a 74th-minute substitute during Arsenal’s 5-2 battering over the Hammers at the London Stadium for what was his 10th appearance in a Gunners shirt.

However, only four of those have come in the starting XI, with the winger scoring twice and also providing two assists.

And despite having Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Landro Trossard as his starting options out wide, Arteta is still hopeful he can give Sterling more minutes going forward.

When asked whether the attacker would get more of a chance in the coming weeks, Arteta added: “That’s the intention.

“That’s why I put him on against Forest, that’s why I wanted to put him on against Sporting, now getting into that rhythm because he can really impact the team as well.”

In-form Arsenal closed the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to six points ahead of their clash with struggling champions Manchester City on Sunday.

Latest Arsenal news: Pundit hints at double Gunners signing/ Dortmund star on Arteta’s radar

Arsenal will reportedly prioritise the signing of a new striker and a midfielder in 2025 – with one of the club’s former stars and well-known pundits letting slip the names of the £150m-rated duo who are right at the top of Mikel Arteta’s wishlist.

Meanwhile, yet another Englishman starring at Borussia Dortmund is attracting interest from the Premier League’s elite, with a report confirming Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea are all positioning themselves to strike.

Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho both became household names during their respective stints with Borussia Dortmund. The Bundesliga giant have become synonymous with developing rising young stars and they’re not afraid to take a chance on English talent.

Another who followed in Bellingham and Sancho’s footsteps is winger Jamie Gittens. The forward left Manchester City’s academy for Dortmund in 2020 aged just 16 and has exploded into life in Germany this season.

And, according to a fresh update from Sky Germany, Gittens’ superb season so far has put the Premier League’s elite on red alert.

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