Carlton Cole says Mikel Arteta must unleash ‘unplayable’ Arsenal player against Tottenham

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Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are gearing up for the first North London derby of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign and the game promises to be an exciting affair.

The Gunners won the corresponding fixture 3-2 last season and played out a 2-2 draw against their rivals at the Emirates Stadium, indicating that they’ve had the upper hand in this fixture since Ange Postecoglou’s arrival.

However, with a handful of key players missing due to injury and suspension, Tottenham will look to take advantage of a depleted Arsenal squad.

Declan Rice is suspended, while Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino are ruled out due to injury.

As Arsenal look to change up their lineup, Carlton Cole believes new signing Raheem Sterling should be thrown straight into the deep end for the North London derby.

Carlton Cole urges Arsenal to start Raheem Sterling against Tottenham

Sterling is yet to feature for the club since sealing a deadline-day loan move from Chelsea, but Cole believes the England international has enough experience to make an impression in a game of such magnitude.

“I think this is the right game for it [to give Sterling his debut] – definitely – to make an impact,” Cole said on talkSPORT.

“You could look at this game and think, do you know what, if I score in this game and we win this game in a convincing way, that means that I had a lot to do with being one of the main players to try and get through to this level and trying to drag them up without our main players, so you can always depend on me.

“And he is one of those players, you can depend on Raheem Sterling. He is a great signing for Arsenal, I think.”

Sterling was once dubbed as ‘unplayable’ by Paul Merson and will look to make an instant impact if he gets a chance against Tottenham.

How will Arsenal lineup against Tottenham?

With Rice and Odegaard unavailable, it remains to be seen who partners Thomas Partey and Jorginho in midfield.

There have been suggestions that Kai Havertz could drop into midfield, with the likes of Sterling, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Martinelli competing for two attacking spots to start alongside Bukayo Saka.

Mikel Arteta claimed he won’t be afraid to give Ethan Nwaneri his full debut against Tottenham, with the 17-year-old in contention to start in midfield.

It remains to be seen what Arteta does as he looks to find the right solution for Arsenal ahead of a must-win game on Sunday.