Mikel Arteta has revealed he had one key doubt about signing Raheem Sterling from Chelsea in the recent transfer window.
The England forward joined the Gunners on loan after effectively being told by new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca that his career at Stamford Bridge was over .
Sterling himself claimed the move was "a perfect fit" as it would mean he could link up with Arteta, with whom he worked at Manchester City, while also remaining in London. He was also excited by what he felt was a "hunger" at the club to win trophies after they fell short in the Premier League title race to Manchester City last season.
For Arteta, too, the deal seemed like a no-brainer. He was assistant to Pep Guardiola at Man City when Sterling produced arguably the best form of his career from 2016 to 2019, winning five major trophies including two Premier League titles.
Yet the Arsenal boss admitted there was "a question mark" in his mind before he gave the green light to the deal for Sterling — albeit one the player himself dispelled very quickly.
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Why Mikel Arteta had 'question mark' over Sterling deal
"Obviously in his personal life a lot of things have changed since we were together [at City]," Arteta said. "The first call I had with him, I knew straight away after 10 seconds, we have to bring him because he really wanted it, you know? And that was my only question mark: what stage is he at in his career? But I knew already after 10 seconds: bring him here.
"He has this ability and the credit for that is him and the players that he has around him. You need that if you're one of the front players. He has that intuition, that will and ability to do that. I'm sure he's going to impact the team."
Is Raheem Sterling playing against Tottenham?
Sterling hasn't yet had the opportunity to make his debut for Arsenal. That could come in Sunday's fixture against North London rivals Tottenham .
"He looks great," Arteta said. "First of all, because he's got a big smile on his face, a lot of energy, he's at it and wants to prove a point. When someone's got that in his belly, you sense it straight away. Obviously, I don't need to discover anything about his quality and what he can bring to the team.
“What I see is hunger and a player that wants to play every minute of every game. When it's not the case, he's not happy. He loves football, it's what he likes doing every single day and I see that.
"His commitment, the level of energy that he's bringing to the team and the quality is a big push. You can feel it with the players as well. When he's walking through the door, we are better with him and he's going to make us better."
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