Raheem Sterling spotted tormenting £50m Arsenal teammate in training ahead of the North London derby

09/15/2024 04:52 AM

Although he's yet to play a minute in an Arsenal shirt, Raheem Sterling seemingly couldn't have done too much more over the international break to prove his readiness to Mikel Arteta.

Constant clips of Sterling looking impressive in Arsenal training have emerged over the past week or so, a player who seems determined to repair his reputation.

The Chelsea loanee hasn't played for England since the end of 2022, and it's almost felt as if his career has been winding down during the past couple of seasons.

However, Sterling is only 29-years-old, and it's evident that he still has so much to offer at the top level, if his environment is right.

Fortunately for Arsenal supporters, it seems as if Arteta is the perfect voice to revive Sterling's quality at this point of his career, a duo who already have a strong working relationship.

That being said, perhaps Arteta is tempted to start Sterling in the North London derby.

Raheem Sterling leaves Ben White in a daze during Arsenal training

Along with Sterling, it's fairly well known that Ben White wasn't representing England over the past fortnight either.

White is still not available for selection for England, a situation that many hoped would change once Gareth Southgate and his coaches moved on.

READ MORE: Harry Redknapp shares his honest Tottenham vs Arsenal North London derby prediction

That being said, White will be well rested heading into Sunday's North London derby, even if he hasn't had the simplest of tasks on the training field it seems.

Arsenal uploaded a video of some of their final preparation before facing Tottenham in N17, and Sterling can be seen tormenting the £50m defender one versus one – a good omen.

There's no doubt over White's defending in that regard, so the complements should all be heading in Sterling's direction, who leaves the defender for dead on more than one occasion.

Mikel Arteta might make surprise North London derby call

For most of the week, it's been debated whether Arsenal should start Ethan Nwaneri given that both Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard are unlikely to play.

However, with a bit of a reshuffle, Arteta might turn to Sterling against Tottenham, especially on evidence of this glimpse of the training sessions that the Arsenal manager has been overseeing.

Kai Havertz could be set to drop deeper into Odegaard's role on the right, playing as a number 10.

In that scenario, Leandro Trossard will probably play as a false nine, leaving the left-wing spot vacant.

And perhaps it will then be a straight shootout between Sterling or Gabriel Martinelli to start, who both deserve the spot in reality.

A tough call for Arteta, but fortunately it's not all doom and gloom despite those who are missing.