Why Arsenal must put their new Sterling up for sale

On paper, Arsenal should be back to their best. A battling 2-1 victory over Leeds United set the tone last weekend, before a 3-0 thrashing of LOSC Lille provided the goals show that those at the Emirates were looking for. But it’s not that simple for Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners’ victory against Leeds lacked conviction, and then it took them until midway through the second half and the introduction of several stars to get going against Lille.

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It has raised question marks over the quality of their squad depth and around one player who is creating untimely reminders about Raheem Sterling‘s time in north London.

How Sterling went from City Centurion to Arsenal flop

Assessing the career of Sterling is quickly becoming an incredibly tough job. He burst onto the scene at Queens Park Rangers to earn a move to Liverpool as a young star. It was then at Anfield where he came to life, combining with Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez as the Reds narrowly missed out on title glory in 2014.

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The headlines then closed in for the first time when he pushed for a move to Manchester City, before receiving years of boos whenever he found himself back at Anfield.

If his career ended at the Etihad, then Sterling would be remembered as one of the best wingers in Premier League history, who played a vital part in Pep Guardiola’s best sides. If he could go back in time, then he may well have called it quits after his City tenure.

Alas, the reality is that a disappointing Chelsea tenure followed, before Arsenal tried and failed to revive his career on loan.

What was a history-maker quickly became a Premier League flop and the Englishman is now without a club at 31 years old.

After 34 goal involvements in 81 games for Chelsea, Arsenal took a punt and quickly regretted it. They signed a version of Sterling who was struggling to match his previous pace, completed just 1.81 take-ons per 90 and failed to score a single league goal.

It didn’t take long for Arteta to cut ties, opting out of a permanent deal and sending Sterling packing after just one season. Now, he must make a similar decision about another Arsenal flop.

Another Sterling has emerged at Arsenal

Quality in depth is more important than ever for Arsenal.

They don’t just want to defend their crown this season; they want to add one or two more jewels in the form of the Champions League. Without the right quality behind their current star power, their wait for European success will simply continue.

It’s why Arteta must continue to get ruthless. The Arsenal boss already waved goodbye to Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus in the summer. They were not deemed good enough for his side. Now, he must do the same and send Noni Madueke packing.

REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

At a time when Bukayo Saka is struggling to find his best form, the Gunners are in no place to accept an average backup. They need a player who could replace Saka and not simply stand in here and there. That should make Madueke surplus to requirements.

Like Sterling in the 24/25 campaign, Madueke is struggling to create and struggling to get his name on the scoresheet. When Arteta is asking him to replace a player who will guarantee at least 15 goals and assists a season, that is simply not good enough.

His performance against Lille a few nights ago was all the evidence you need. It was Sterling in his latter years all over again. Madueke attempted a whopping 15 crosses but only one of them found its intended target. The lack of end product is alarming.

Despite only paying £52m to secure his signature from Chelsea in 2025, which is proving to be an unsuccessful trend for the Gunners, Arsenal must cut ties with Madueke and cash in while they can. Like Sterling and Willian before, this has been another poor signing from the Blues.