Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit “knows” that manager Mikel Arteta was “dreaming” of signing an alternative to England international Raheem Sterling.

The gunners They were active in the summer transfer market. They invested around £100 million to sign Sterling, Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, David Raya and Neto.

Going into the summer, one of Arsenal’s priorities was to sign a right winger to cover Bukayo Saka.

artetaThe team were linked with several potential replacements and finally settled on Sterling after he was surplus to requirements by Chelsea.

The winger previously worked with Arteta at Man City and they have a good relationship. Despite this, he has been a bit of a supporting player for Arsenal in recent months, having only made two starts in the Premier League.

Petit says Sterling was a “panic buy” because he “knows” Arteta wanted to sign Atletico Bilbao star Nico Williams. which was valued at £50 million in the summer – after shining with Spain at Euro 2024.

“Raheem Sterling was a panic buy,” Petit said in an interview with Instant Casino.

READ: Is Arteta’s problem that he is turning into Mourinho or is he simply far from himself?

“For me, Mikel Arteta knows that he is missing players, numbers in his squad, quality players in terms of rotation.

“He knows this, so at the end of the transfer market during the summer, he knew he had no choice but to sign Sterling because he didn’t want to put a lot of money on the table for other players.

“I know I dreamed of Nico Williams, but he will never make it to the Premier League. He will stay in Spain; he will go to Barcelona. Definitely.

“Sterling has been living a nightmare for years. I think Sterling is probably one of the best examples of what life in the Premier League can do to a player who has tasted success after success after success.

“When you receive so much money for years and win many trophies, you no longer starve. You lose your passion; Sometimes you lose your priorities and you are enjoying your life.

“I wonder if Sterling was starting his career and he would probably play differently. It was like that during my time too. It is common for human beings.”

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Petit has also revealed that he is “worried about some things at Arsenal” following recent defeats to AFC Bournemouth and Newcastle United.

“I am worried about some things at Arsenal, and when I look to the future, I hope they can recover from this and this is just a blip,” Petit added.

“Arsenal need some players to raise their level on the field, but they are missing something very important for me. They are missing important players in the midfield.

“You can see that in terms of turnover. Declan Rice should be given a rest. I’m watching him and you can see he’s struggling physically and mentally.

“That worries me because it is not the same for Manchester City. The loss of Rodri has been difficult to face, but they have options on the bench and they are not worried about his absence.”