Mikel Arteta will not be able to operate with total freedom in the January transfer market thanks to Raheem Sterling and fellow Arsenal struggler Neto.

Raheem Sterling has reportedly made a decision over his future ahead of the January transfer window amid his dismal spell on loan at Arsenal. Sterling has failed to make much of an impact on the pitch since joining the Gunners in a temporary switch from Chelsea in August.

Arsenal remain in the hunt for the Premier League, but have ground to make up, as several of their players face uncertain futures with Raheem Sterling struggling for minutes and Kieran Tierney seeing

Ben White underwent minor knee surgery in November and, while Arteta issued a positive update towards the end of that month, his return date remains unclear. “The surgery went really well, there is no reaction after that,” he said.

Arsenal have been dealt another huge injury blow with Raheem Sterling ruled out for “a while”. The loanee missed the thumping win at Crystal Palace after picking up an injury during training. Mikel Arteta confirmed on Saturday: “He felt something in training and had to come off and we need to explore that with more tests.