Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta responds when asked if club could cut short loan spell of Raheem Sterling and send him back to Chelsea

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has responded negatively when asked if the Gunners could potentially cut short Raheem Sterling's loan spell from Chelsea. The 30-year-old winger left Stamford Bridge last summer as it became clear that he was deemed surplus to requirements by Enzo Maresca.

He joined the Blues' London rivals, with hopes of potentially getting more minutes under Mikel Arteta. So far, this has not happened with any real consistency. He has played just 633 minutes across competitions, making just seven appearances from the starting lineup. His other eight appearances this season have come off the bench.

This has raised questions about if Arsenal would look to send him back to Chelsea, and perhaps sign another winger they can trust with more game time. However, Mikel Arteta responded simply (via Metro):

"We are not thinking about that."

The Gunners are currently struggling with numbers in attack, with players out injured. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus have both sustained serious injuries, and the latter will be out of contention for the rest of the season. They have only players like Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli, and Ethan Nwaneri as available options for their attacking roles.

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Arsenal need solutions in the transfer market, as title race continues against Chelsea and Liverpool

Arsenal are on the hunt for more attacking depth in the transfer market, as their top-four hopes may be affected by any further injuries. The Gunners are in second place on the Premier League table, six points behind Liverpool in first, and four points ahead of Chelsea in fourth. The Reds also have a game in hand.

Having just five available attackers for three slots could be a problem as they continue to chase for the title. With their options decimated by injuries, Arteta has been forced to turn towards the transfer window for a solution. However, it would not be an easy task to sign a new player, as he admitted (via Metro):

"You have certain resources, the ability to recruit certain players, develop certain players, use certain players from the academy. It’s a balance of what we can do. We lost two very important forwards, we have to get more goals into the team if we can do it, but the right one.

"We lack goals, we lack people and we lack options. It’s clear. If we can get the right player that’s why we are actively looking at it. Any player? No. Someone who makes us better. We need some help."

Arsenal will travel to the Molineux, where they face Wolverhampton Wanderers in their upcoming Premier League game on Saturday, January 25. Chelsea are chasing the Gunners on the table, but have a serious match against champions Manchester City at the Etihad.