William Gallas claims Mikel Arteta’s decision to sign Raheem Sterling and his subsequent use of him proves he is not a world class manager.
Eyebrows were raised when the Arsenal boss turned to a player who had been deemed surplus to requirements by Chelsea on the final day of the summer transfer window.
Sterling’s arrival on loan was seen as a low risk move given he was largely viewed as backup to the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
Arsenal’s two frontline wingers have both suffered significant injuries this season but even in their absences, Arteta has used the 30-year-old sparingly.
Teenager Ethan Nwaneri has jumped ahead of the England international in the Spaniard’s pecking order and the nadir for Sterling arrived at Old Trafford last weekend.
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With Arsenal chasing a late winner, Arteta left Sterling floundering on the bench and instead opted to deploy Kieran Tierney as a makeshift winger.
Sterling did give a timely reminder of his qualities in midweek, delivering two assists in a man of the match performance against PSV Eindhoven, but Gallas feels that display has come to late to salvage any hope of joining Arsenal on a permanent basis.
‘Arteta brings in players, and puts them on the bench, you never give the guys the chance,’ the former Arsenal captain told Prime Casino.
‘Why did you bring the players? Why did you bring Sterling? Everybody knew that he didn’t have the quality he had at Liverpool and Manchester City, but when you brought him at the start of the season, you never gave him a chance.
‘Especially when you should have been rotating, you never gave him minutes on the wing. Instead, you kept him on the bench, always used the same players, and now they’re tired and Sterling’s confidence has completely evaporated.
‘That’s why I say he’s a good coach, but not top class, not world-class.’
Regardless of his long-term future, Sterling, who still has two years left on his Chelsea contract, is confident he can play a major role in Arsenal’s pursuit of European glory with a glamour Champions League quarter final against Real Madrid on the horizon.
‘I am still faithful that I have still got a big part to play,” he said.
‘You can only control what you can control. I have not had as many minutes as I would have liked but I have had the opportunities.
‘It is down to myself to keep knocking at the door. I believe within myself that I have a lot to play here, whether it is 10 minutes, 45 or a start. I just need to be ready and try and help the team as much as possible.
‘Yes we are a few points behind [in the Premier League] but there are all different circumstances [for that]. I think the boys have done really well and in the last bit of the season [are ready] to give it a right push.’