Arteta backs Sterling for Spurs clash, brought him to Arsenal in just 10 seconds

Sterling, who is on loan from Chelsea, is set to make his debut today.

“He looks great,” said Arteta. “First of all, because he’s got a big smile on his face, a lot of energy, he’s at it and wants to prove a point. When someone’s got that in his belly, you sense it straight away. Obviously I don’t need to discover anything about his quality and what he can bring to the team.

“What I see is hunger and a player that wants to play every minute of every game. When it’s not the case, he’s not happy. He loves football, it’s what he likes doing every single day and I see that.

“His commitment, the level of energy that he’s bringing to the team and the quality is a big push. You can feel it with the players as well. When he’s walking through the door, we are better with him and he’s going to make us better.”

The pair previously worked together at Manchester City.

“Obviously in his personal life a lot of things have changed since we were together,” said Arteta. “The first call I had with him, I knew straight away after 10 seconds, we have to bring him because he really wanted it, you know. And that was my only question mark, what stage is he at in his career, but I knew already after 10 seconds. Bring him here.

“He has this ability and the credit for that is him and the players that he has around him. You need that if you’re one of the front players. He has that intuition, that will and ability to do that. I’m sure he’s going to impact the team.”