Why Raheem Sterling could start up front for Arsenal against Tottenham
Not long after it was reported that Raheem Sterling's proposed deadline day move to Arsenal was a non-starter, the Gunners pulled off the marquee loan signing of the ostracised Chelsea attacker in the early hours of the morning of August 31.
Having been brutally ejected from Chelsea's senior squad by new manager Enzo Maresca, Sterling was handed a Premier League lifeline by former Manchester City assistant Mikel Arteta, who saved him from a few months out in the cold.
The 29-year-old was in attendance at the Emirates to watch Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on the same day that his move was announced, having not been registered in time to make his debut in the clash with the Seagulls.
Sterling watched on as his former Chelsea teammate Kai Havertz opened the scoring in delightful fashion, but Declan Rice's controversial red card preceded an equaliser from Joao Pedro, who was not booked for a similar incident that earned Rice his second yellow.
Rice's misdemeanour means that the £105m midfielder is now suspended for this weekend's North London derby away to Tottenham Hotspur, where Sterling could play his first game for Arteta's side, and the ramifications of Rice's red could extend to the Chelsea loanee.
Why Sterling might be the solution to Rice and Odegaard blows
In an ideal world, Arteta would have simply swapped the banned Rice out for another new signing in Mikel Merino, the Euro 2024-winning Spaniard who excelled in the number eight role for Real Sociedad.
However, the 28-year-old suffered a bizarre injury in his first training session with the Gunners, fracturing a bone in his shoulder after Gabriel Magalhaes fell on him, which could keep him out until late October in the worst-case scenario.
Arteta will therefore be forced into a critical rethink, and the Arsenal boss has not been shy to move Havertz into midfield when the need arises, in spite of the fact that the German is far better suited to the number nine role.
Havertz did play in the engine room a couple of times in pre-season, though, suggesting that Arteta feels he can still do a job there, and his tall frame would mimic that of both Rice and Merino to offer a physical presence in the middle of the park.
With Martin Odegaard also guaranteed to miss the North London derby and likely a few matches afterwards due to the ankle sprain he suffered while playing for Norway, Arteta may feel that he has no choice but to drop the German deeper.
Havertz moving into midfield would leave the striker spot vacant, and while Gabriel Jesus would normally be the first port of call, the Brazil international is nursing a groin injury and is not guaranteed to be fit for the trip to Tottenham.
As a result, Sterling - who has looked sharp in training since joining up with the Gunners - is a genuine option in the number nine position, and he is no stranger to such a role, playing 62 matches and scoring 25 goals up front according to Transfermarkt.
Whether Tottenham's Micky van de Ven recovers from his own knee injury in time for the derby remains to be seen, but should the lightning-fast Dutchman be fit, Arsenal could certainly use an injection of Sterling's pace.
What other options does Arteta have?
Havertz moving into midfield and Sterling starting up front is just one possible solution of many; Arteta could also persist with Havertz in the number nine slot and just introduce Jorginho and one wild card option as Rice and Odegaard's replacements.
Teenage duo Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly represent those wild card options who could plug any midfield gaps, but the youngsters are only emergency solutions, while Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli can also act as makeshift strikers.
