Paul Merson urges Leeds United to capitalise on player's situation at Arsenal and land transfer | OneFootball

Paul Merson believes Leeds United should look to sign Raheem Sterling after his loan at Arsenal from Chelsea finishes.

Paul Merson believes that Leeds United should try to sign Raheem Sterling this summer, with the winger not expected to stay at Arsenal.

The Gunners signed the England international on loan in the summer after he had been frozen out by Chelsea, but his time at the Emirates hasn’t really gone to plan.

Sterling has found himself down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta, so he’s set to return to Stamford Bridge, with another switch then likely to be sorted for the 30-year-old.

Paul Merson urges Leeds United to consider Raheem Sterling move

So, it remains to be seen what happens next for Sterling, but, speaking to Sky Sports, pundit Merson explained why he thinks Leeds should target the attacker.

“It’s hard. Raheem needs to be playing football all the time, week in, week out, when you’re a winger. He’s coming in for a game here and there, and when he comes in it’s not Arsenal’s full team.

“It’s been hard, I don’t know where he goes from here. You need to consistently play football to get a rhythm, and he’s come into games where they make changes, so it’s not fluid and going through the lines like they normally do. I do feel sorry for him but I think his time at Arsenal is up.

“If I was Leeds United, I’d be looking at Raheem. He has experience, and Leeds are a young team. They like to play attacking football, and he’s very good in the dressing room, a real team player. He has won Premier Leagues.

“For me, that wouldn’t be a bad move for Leeds or Raheem Sterling. He would be going to a massive, huge club, but the expectations aren't as high. If Leeds finish 17th next season they will have pulled up trees, so that would be one that ticks the box for me.”

Leeds United must get summer recruitment right this summer

You could argue this would be a decent move for Leeds on loan, as it’s relatively low-risk, but it’s unlikely that they will pursue Sterling for many reasons.

Firstly, he will be commanding a huge salary, and they’re also well-stocked for wingers, so if they do bring a wide forward in, you would expect them to have a different profile to Sterling, who is similar to what they currently have. Plus, the ex-Man City man hasn’t exactly impressed with Arsenal.

However, Merson is right to highlight the need for experience in the Leeds dressing room, as they will be in a battle to stay up, and having players who have been there and done it can help.

The gulf between the top two divisions has been evident in recent years, so all connected to Leeds know that they must get recruitment right this summer if Daniel Farke’s men are going to have a real chance of survival.