Mikel Arteta played down the prospect of signing Raheem Sterling for Arsenal after he was banished from the Chelsea first team and stripped of his shirt number.
But after landing the England man on loan for the remainder of the season, Arteta explained why he changed his mind and how he plans to get the best out of the forward he worked with at Manchester City.
The 29-year-old is at the Emirates for Arsenal's match with Brighton on Saturday, to be presented as a new player, after a season-long loan was sealed at the 11th hour.
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There is no option or obligation for Arsenal to sign Sterling permanently beyond the current season, but the Spanish head coach was over the moon at the prospect of being reunited with a familiar face.
“We are very happy with what we have done and now we will focus on the match," Arteta told TNT Sports. "We know his qualities, it’s a big step up for us, we have brought a player with a top talent and plenty of experience that hopefully is going to impact the team in a positive way.
“He’s got his numbers (at City) because he was playing under a great manager (Pep Guardiola) with great players around him that did so much for him, if you do that he is going to score the goals and create so many issues to the opponent - that’s what we have to do as a team.”
Such comments mark a stark change from a week ago, when Arteta was asked if he was tempted to reunite with Sterling in north London: “No, but I can talk about my time with Raheem.
"It was exceptional, we built a really strong relationship together. He was unbelievable at the time we were together and he taught me a lot as well. About individuals, how they play and how we give them support and help them. He’s someone I have a really strong feeling about.”
Sterling similarly is looking forward to proving his Chelsea doubters wrong by helping their rivals Arsenal in a title charge. "It’s an unbelievable feeling," he said. "It’s really exciting. I’m buzzing. It’s one where we kind of left it late but it’s one I was hoping for.
"Looking at everything, I’m just, like, ‘This is a perfect fit for me’, and I’m super happy that we got it over the line.
"I spoke with Edu and I said that it’s something you can see from the outside, you can see the real togetherness from Mikel’s time here and you see the journey that the boys are on, and you can see the hunger, and I keep saying again, the togetherness is something I’m looking to be a part of."
