David Bentley exclusive: Sterling has a point to prove at Arsenal, says business partner Bentley

It's been over a decade since Bentley retired from professional football, feeling disillusioned with the sport, and shifted his focus to managing a variety of business ventures. One of his successful endeavors includes a restaurant that he co-owns with Raheem Sterling, who recently made a last-minute transfer to Bentley's former club, Arsenal. Bentley sees this partnership as a smart move, believing it will bring mutual benefits to both individuals.

“He's a great addition," Bentley tells Tribalfootball.com. "He's got a great attitude; he's a productive player and he’s always going to travel with the ball. He's still only 29 which is incredible. They've now got Saka, Trossard, Martinelli and now Sterling. That's as good as anybody's got if you if you're looking at a forward line. They've got four players that can really make a difference and they're all honest players that will just keep going and they're productive.” 

Bentley wouldn’t rule out Sterling trying to prove a point to Chelsea while wearing the Arsenal shirt, showing they were wrong to let him go.

“Football's fickle, innit? Not many people understand what’s going on at Chelsea and the influx of so many players. Having 45 players top players is a difficult job for any manager. But Sterling's been outstanding at Manchester City, he's been outstanding at Liverpool, the top clubs in the country, so he knows how to win matches and having that experience in the dressing room is only going to be a positive, not least for the other young players”.

Like Bentley says, Sterling is only 29 at which age  Bentley retired from football, stating the game had become too robotic. Would playing for managers like Pep Guardiola or Jürgen Klopp perhaps have prolonged his playing career?

“Obviously, me being a technical player it would have potentially suited me. When I was playing you had a rigid 4-4-2. You look across the whole Premier League today from top to bottom even the goalkeepers are like a number 10.

"That’s the Guardiola effect. They're playing out from the back, there's a lot more structured build-up. Potentially it could have helped me but I don't know if it's changed football for the better. It's just a different style different style of playing.” 

David Bentley was talking to Tribalfootball on behalf of William Hill