Time and again the TV cameras fought to a stony Raheem-Sterling during the 1-1 draw of Arsenal with Manchester United in Old Trafford on Sunday.
At 76 minutes Mikel Arteta Kieran Tierney, who leaves the club to return to Celtic this summer, brought back on the left wing instead of Sterling.
It was a significant moment in which it was shown to what extent the 82-cap England International and the four-time Premier League winner has lost the pecking order of Arteta and has embodied a loan movement that has not been worked out as planned.
Wednesday, it seems, is the last shot of the 30-year-old on redemption in an Arsenal sweater. The Gunners are confronted with PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League Last 16 second stage in the Emirates Stadium in a total dead rubber.
The 7-1 Drubbing Arsenal distributed in the Netherlands last week leaves this game as a free hit in which Arteta will rotate his team prior to a crucial run-in.
But for Sterling is on the way to a summer on Wednesday to a summer where he could lie in the dark with two years of his Chelsea contract that can still run.
Mail Sport understands that Sterling is very rational in his thinking and ready to play a role when it is called at Arsenal. However, it is not to be denied that the lack of playing time has proved to be disappointing.
Despite the fact that things were not selected as he had desired in terms of playing time, it is clear that Sterling is still happy that he has made the switch to Arsenal. He was desperate to find a way out from Chelsea after he was banned by Enzo Maresca and refused access to First team facilities. It is clear that the situation became so bad that the PFA was called in, as well as labor lawyers.
Yet the move to North Londs was not on the cards in the first place. Mail Sport understands that Sterling initially prepared to move to Manchester United in August.
The most important people at United had spoken strongly about Sterling, after they had previously worked with him; Sports director Dan Ashworth (ex-FA director of Elite Development), technical director Jason Wilcox (former Academy director at Manchester City) and Omar Bercrada (former chief Football Operations Officer at City) were all responsible for the player.
The stars seemed to have been aligned. United also hoped that Sterling would offer a Big Brother figure for the wrestling Marcus Rashford. But PSR rules, which are dangerously close, are paid to the movement that takes place. Crystal Palace and Tottenham were also looking for his signature.
It is likely that the Gunners would not have opted for Sterling if they knew how much Ethan Nwaneri was in such a short time. The 17-year-old has long been identified as a growing talent, but the North London club did not want to hurry its development.
It was the hamstring injury of Bukayo Saka on December 21 against Crystal Palace who pushed the young person to the center of the stage, while making his competition debut against Brentford on New Year's Day and the last four games started. Nwaneri has already impressively hit eight goals.
The field from Arsenal to Sterling was that he would not enter as a starter, but reinforce both left and right wings. In his mind he would be a reinforcement for Gabriel Martinelli and Saka.
The people around him are surprised that he did not get a chance as a striker, especially after the injury of Kai Havertz.
His limited playing time in the first half of this season did not justify raised eyebrows because of the front of Arsenal Drie van Saka, Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli. Most players in the competition would have difficulty entering the team prior to such a trio.
It is from February, after Havertz's seasonal hamstring was contracted during the Dubai trip of the North London club, which was more difficult to decipher.
In terms of the relationship between Arteta and Sterling, it is different than when Arteta was assistant coach at Man City between 2016 and 2019, where the winger was in his Prime.
It was said that the two 'aan de Hip' in Man City was glued, because Arteta experimented for hours in the use of him in different positions in training.
They are very well connected and still talk regularly. The player is supposed to respect the transparency that he is shown by his boss, who includes team selection, no matter how difficult that news is. But of course there is a difference in communicating with a boss than an assistant coach.
Back to the play side, without Saka, was Martinelli – who just returned from injury to United on Sunday – and Havertz, a place for sterling in the front three was there for the taking.
In the 2-0 victory of the Gunners op Leicester on 15 February, Sterling was thwarted time and time again when he tried to include opponents in a display at odds what he has produced in the past seasons.
That sharp, daring player of Oude, who could leave an opponent for dust or could use his silky dribble skills when navigating through tight areas, was hard to find. Since then he has not started a competition match.
The winger would work tirelessly on training and has a strong desire to play. His energy behind the scenes was mainly noticed for the people in the club.
When it comes to why he has not had an impact, there are several factors. One is a lack of playing time this season. The winger only started four league games and just when he started building some rhythm, he suffered a knee injury in mid -December; No ideal circumstances for building momentum, nor trust.
Mail Sport understands that he withdrew to make himself available while he was not completely fit because of the Saka hamstring injury.
It is believed that Arteta's Aversess to play Sterling is a reluctance to wait until he builds trust and momentum, instead to choose players who are ready in the here and now.
However, he was signed more than his on the field. The ex-England-Man has influenced young people such as Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly in training, offering instructions. This included navigating guidelines by the media.
For Arsenal, the deal to bring him in is still considered financial cunning. They only pay 30 percent (£ 97,500) from his £ 325,000 weekly wage.
What is certain is that the time for Sterling to make an impact at Arsenal quickly runs out.
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