Chelsea loanee Raheem Sterling is not the most popular figure in North London as Arsenal fans have lost patience with him.
Sterling signed for Chelsea from Manchester City in the summer of 2022 and was supposed to be one of the catalysts towards Premier League title success.
Instead, the England international’s arrival coincided with the Blues’ struggles under Graham Potter and then Mauricio Pochettino.
He scored more frequently than most Chelsea forwards in his time at Stamford Bridge but his overall performances were often called into question.
So, the club decided to let Sterling leave on loan in the 2024/25 campaign and controversially had no reservations about him joining London rivals Arsenal.
Raheem Sterling’s dreadful performance in Leicester City vs Arsenal
Sterling’s latest performance in an Arsenal shirt was probably his worst to date and it arguably came when they needed him most.
The Gunners were without Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli for the trip to Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.
This meant that Mikel Arteta was forced to hand Sterling a rare start and, alongside Leandro Trossard and youngster Ethan Nwaneri, the Chelsea loanee needed to step up.
The Englishman did the opposite and dropped an absolute stinker at the King Power Stadium, with not even a shot on target to show for his 69 minutes.
Thankfully for Sterling, his display largely went under the radar as Mikel Merino’s late brace secured all three points for the title challengers.
However, some Arsenal fans did take to X to voice their concerns over the ex-Manchester City winger’s terrible game.
One wrote: “That Raheem Sterling’s performance against Leicester won’t go under the radar. Up there as the worst individual performance I’ve ever witnessed.” Another posted: “We won but thinking about Raheem Sterling gives me a headache.”
Raheem Sterling’s struggles prove Chelsea right over summer exit
Most Chelsea fans wanted Sterling to leave the club last summer but there were serious concerns over allowing him to join Arsenal.
Some thought that the Blues’ dysfunction was partly to blame for his poor form and that he would thrive under Arteta in a more stable environment.
Well, if anything, Sterling has performed worse for Arsenal this season than he did for Chelsea in the previous two campaigns.
Perhaps this was more luck than judgment from the West London club’s hierarchy, who have made countless questionable transfer decisions in recent times, but this one has to go down as a slam dunk.
The only concern is that Sterling has been so underwhelming at the Emirates Stadium that he might not have any suitors for a permanent exit in the summer.
