Arsenal: Mikel Arteta 'knew inside 10 seconds' why he must sign Raheem Sterling | OneFootball

One phone call is all it took to seal the Deadline Day move

The winger had been bombed out at Stamford Bridge by new boss Enzo Maresca, but Arteta believes he can be a hit at Emirates Stadium.

Arteta worked with Sterling when he was at Manchester City and the Spaniard is convinced the 29-year-old is hungry to get back to his best.

The first call I had with him I knew in the first 10 seconds we have to bring him

Mikel Arteta

“In his personal life a lot of things have changed, but with the player I was really surprised,” said Arteta. “The first call I had with him I knew in the first 10 seconds we have to bring him because he really wanted it.

“That was my only question mark: 'What stage is he at in his career?’ After ten seconds I knew already before the next questions that we needed him here.

“What I see is hunger. He’s a player that wants to play every minute of every game. When that’s not the case, he’s not happy.

“He wants to play every single day and I see that. His commitment and the level of energy that he’s bringing to the team is a big boost. You can feel it walking through the door. We are better with him. He’s going to make us better.”

Raheem Sterling is poised to make his debut against Tottenham

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Sterling has spent the past two weeks training with Arsenal during the international break and could make his debut this weekend in the north London derby.

“He looks great,” said Arteta. “He’s got a lot of energy, a smile on his face and he’s at it.

“He wants to prove a point and when someone’s got that in his belly you sense it straight away. Obviously I don’t need to know anything else about his quality and what he can bring to the team.

“He has this ability [to score goals] and the credit to that is him and the players he’s got around him certainly. He has that intuition and that will to do that. I’m sure it’s going to help the team.”