Leeds ‘can ensure Premier League survival’ by giving Arsenal flop career revival
Leeds United know that boasting a glittering Championship squad means next to nothing these days when compared with the elites of the Premier League.
Daniel Farke has seen his job thrown into doubt since just hours after securing promotion back to the top flight, and is keen to revamp the squad at Elland Road.
Owners 49ers Enterprises know they must heavily invest in order to stop an unwanted trend of promoted clubs falling back whence they came to the Championship.
And on Thursday morning (24 April), an established former Arsenal star told Sky Sports that Leeds should punt for a Gunners player whose career is at a crossroads.
Leeds United should prioritise move for four-time Premier League champion
Leeds United will undoubtedly sign a wealth of players this summer, but how much they invest is anyone’s guess – as is who will occupy the dugout at Elland Road to manage them.
Leeds are likely to contend with the pressures of the top flight better-equipped than Burnley and whoever wins the play-offs, due to their pull factor for recruitment and willing owners.
Paul Merson spoke on Thursday to suggest the Whites should launch a move for Arsenal loanee Raheem Sterling, who was cast aside from parent club Chelsea last summer.
Sterling, 30, has won the Premier League four times but has since seen his career nosedive, as he struggles to make an impact for Mikel Arteta’s men – scoring just one League Cup goal in 25 appearances so far.
It remains very unlikely that either Arsenal nor Chelsea will want Sterling on their books next season – but the 82-cap England winger is a player for whom Leeds could be a match made in heaven.
Leeds need experience to garnish a young and exciting squad, and players keen to prove themselves at a huge club at the top level – where they would receive weekly game time – should be their prime target.
Sterling would have to be just as accommodating to strike deal
On paper, a move to Elland Road appears just the refreshing new chapter Sterling so desperately needs, and Leeds would be receiving a player eager to remind everyone of his proven capabilities.
He was not fancied by Enzo Maresca and that is very unlikely to change, and at Arsenal he has not done enough to bypass Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard nor emerging talent Ethan Nwaneri in the pecking order.
Sterling’s wages would be something he would have to compromise, having seen his initial contract signed at Chelsea land him a weekly earning in excess of £300,000 per week.
| Raheem Sterling – major trophies won | Total |
| Premier League | 4 |
| FA Cup | 1 |
| EFL/League Cup | 5 |
If he wants his Premier League career back on track, he knows he will have to take a significant pay cut, but he appears eager more than anything else just to play the football everyone saw of him across the late 2010s and early 2020s.
If Leeds could pull it off, it could be a career-defining deal for a player who has already won so much.