Kevin De Bruyne's honest comments show exactly why Arsenal signed Raheem Sterling

Kevin De Bruyne’s resurfaced comments about Raheem Sterling show exactly why the winger will be a perfect fit under Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal moved quickly to sign Sterling when it became clear the Englishman wasn’t fancied by new boss Enzo Maresca at Chelsea.

It came just two years after Sterling arrived in west London, joining as part of a £50million deal from Manchester City.

Sterling had enjoyed a stellar seven years with City, lifting several major honours during his spell with the club, including four Premier League titles.

It was as a City player that the ex-Liverpool ace was able to strike up a strong on-pitch bond with De Bruyne – a player who has openly admitted he wasn’t sure if he’d get along with Sterling before joining the club.

Commenting in a tell-all Players’ Tribune article in 2019, De Bruyne admitted: “I am a brutally honest person. So I will let you in on a little secret.

“Before I came to Manchester City, I didn’t really know what to make of this Raheem Sterling guy. I had never met him, and from what I’d read about him in the English press, I thought he was going to be a very different character. I thought…well…I didn’t think he’d be a bad guy, really.

“But the tabloids were always claiming that he was arrogant. So I guess I thought he’d be … what do the English call it?

“A bit of a d***head, maybe? Then I got to City and I actually met Raheem, and we’d talk a bit after training, and I thought, ‘wait, this guy seems really cool? What’s the story here?’”

The Belgian continued: “Truthfully, I don’t have many close friends – inside or outside of football. It takes me a really long time to open up to people.

“But over time, I got closer to Raheem, because our sons were born around the same time, so they would always play together. I really got to know Raheem, and I recognised what a smart and genuine person he is.

“He couldn’t be more different from what the tabloids were saying. This is the real truth: Raheem is one of the nicest, most humble guys I’ve met in football.”

Sterling could have the chance to haunt his former club this afternoon when Arsenal make the trip to the Etihad Stadium.

The Gunners’ last victory at the Etihad came nine years ago, with Arteta and co. looking to end a 10-game winless streak in east Manchester.