Arsenal: Raheem Sterling ready to repay Mikel Arteta with big role after blockbuster week | OneFootball

The loan signing has been getting up to speed since joining on Deadline Day

After Arsenal’s enthralling showdowns with Manchester City and Tottenham, a home game against Bolton feels like the definition of after the Lord Mayor’s show.

The winger has had to be patient after joining Arsenal on loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day last month.

Sterling has been restricted to just two appearances off the bench so far, coming on against Atalanta and Spurs for a combined total of 27 minutes.

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

The 29-year-old was an unused substitute in Sunday’s draw at his old club Manchester City, with Leandro Trossard’s red card shortly before half-time forcing the Gunners to play a 5-4-0 formation as they dug out a 2-2 draw.

It was hardly the game for Sterling, but Wednesday’s clash with Bolton at Emirates Stadium looks ideal for him to make his first start.

Bolton are currently 18th in League One and Arsenal go into the Carabao Cup third round clash as overwhelming favourites.

Sterling would have always been likely to start, but his chances of doing so have gone up even more now that Trossard is suspended.

The 29-year-old could line up anywhere along Arsenal’s front three and that was a key reason why they signed him.

Sterling was delighted when Arteta called him to confirm that a move to Arsenal was on

It was felt Sterling offered versatility and experience, along with the added bonus that he knew manager Mikel Arteta well and would not take long to adapt to how Arsenal play.

Sterling enjoyed the best spell of his career under Arteta after linking up with him at City at the start of the 2016-17 season.

Arteta, who was an assistant to Pep Guardiola at the time, worked with Sterling individually and the pair often stayed behind after training.

In their stint together, Sterling was in lethal form and in 116 appearances, he scored 51 goals and supplied 28 assists. In the 126 games before that, he had managed 24 goals and 16 assists.

It was a golden period for Sterling and in that time only four players in England’s top flight recorded more goals and assists than him.

That is why Sterling was so delighted when Arteta called him on transfer deadline day to confirm that a move to Arsenal was on.

It was the call Sterling had been waiting for, the move he had been dreaming of, and now he is determined to seize the opportunity.

The winger has settled quickly at Arsenal, thanks in part to the fact he knew many of the players before from Chelsea, England and Manchester City.

Sterling has trained hard, using the September international break to get up to speed after being frozen out at Chelsea and forced to work alone during August.

Arsenal view his experience as a valuable quality and it could be especially so on Wednesday, with Arteta likely to hand youngsters like Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly minutes.

They will be viewing this as an opportunity to shine - and the same can be said of Sterling.