A member of Arsenal claims that Mikel Arteta is the player that Chelsea should be afraid of because he can quickly disperse William Saliba and Gabriel Megalhaes and has rejected Arteta’s offer for 2022 since the player enjoys scoring for the Gunners.
When Mikel Arteta’s team travels to Chelsea in the Premier League after the break, Paul Merson has warned Arsenal about the potential threat Raheem Sterling poses.
The Gunners will host their London rivals at Stamford Bridge for their upcoming Premier League game.
When Arsenal visits Chelsea on October 21, they hope to keep their perfect record for the year.
With three victories from eight games, Mauricio Pochettino’s club is now in 11th place in the standings.
Raheem Sterling was instrumental in helping Chelsea gain momentum as they entered the international break after a stunning display against Burnley.
By scoring his third goal at Turf Moor, the 28-year-old increased his goal total for the season.
He had earlier scored two goals and provided an assist against Luton Town in August, in addition to his recent performance.
Even though he only had time to score one goal against Burnley, Sterling was absolutely captivating.
He also contributed significantly to Ameen Al Dakhil’s own goal and supplied a precise cross that helped Nicolas Jackson score. He made life difficult for the Clarets throughout the whole of the game.
Merson thinks that as a result, clubs will start to fear playing Chelsea, especially when Sterling finds his best form right before Arsenal comes to Stamford Bridge.
Considering Pochettino’s team’s impressive displays against elite opponents, particularly their most recent 1-1 draw with Liverpool, the former Arsenal great also worries that Arteta should be wary of them.
“Arsenal come to Stamford Bridge in a couple of weeks and they will have a go at Chelsea,” Merson said in a Sky Sports blog.
“Therefore, it will be intriguing. But they have played their best this season against superior opponents, like as Liverpool, who gave it their all.
“Therefore, it will be intriguing. Teams won’t want to play Chelsea because of where they now stand in the league, where they can beat anyone, and because Raheem Sterling is unplayable when he performs as he did against Burnley.
When Arsenal plays Chelsea later this month, Sterling will want to show his skill on the field and refute Merson’s caution.
He didn’t play very well in either of the London rivals’ games last season, despite Arsenal’s interest in taking him from Stamford Bridge to the Emirates Stadium.
Having previously collaborated with the winger at Etihad Stadium, Arteta had indicated a wish to reconnect with him.
Even though Arteta was interested on the agreement with Manchester City, Sterling reportedly showed little interest in a transfer to Arsenal in May 2022, according to reports from The Athletic.
Sterling did not appear to be as excited about the reunion as his former mentor was.
To Thomas Tuchel’s pleasure, Chelsea made the move to sign Sterling to a lucrative five-year contract at £325,000 per week in July 2022 for a cost of £47.5 million.
Sterling has contributed 12 goals and 5 assists in 47 games, proving to be a worthwhile investment for Chelsea. He did not, however, represent a big danger to Arsenal the season before.
At Stamford Bridge in November 2022, Arsenal defeated the Blues 1-0, with Oleksandr Zinchenko shining brightly despite Sterling’s best efforts.
Then, in May, the Gunners won 3-1 thanks to a Martin Odegaard goal after Sterling made a mistake by failing to keep up with the captain of the team’s rapid run.
