According to the latest reports in England, Arsenal are pressing hard to bring in Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus to the Emirates this summer. The Gunners have been looking to sign a new number nine, having failed to land any of their preferred targets in January and have fixated their focus on the 25-year-old forward.
Jesus arrived at the Etihad in the 2017-18 season from Palmeiras for a reported €33 million fee plus add-ons. The Brazilian was signed as a like-for-like replacement for Sergio Aguero, given he was considered as a promising prospect who had already set the Brazilian Serie A on fire. Unfortunately, that has not been the case at City. The Brazilian hasn’t been able to replicate the numbers Aguero used to put up during his time in Manchester.
However, this hasn’t diminished his importance to Pep Guardiola. This season, Jesus has managed to score 12 goals and assist 12 times in 36 appearances across all competitions (stats via Transfermarkt), displaying how he has been an integral part of the team despite not always being a regular in the City starting eleven.
According to The Telegraph, Arsenal are in advanced talks to sign Gabriel Jesus this summer. The Gunners are aiming to make the 25-year-old their ‘poster boy’ if he decides to move to North London, incentivising themselves as a club that shines the spotlight on the Brazilian. Arsenal’s technical director Edu is closely watching the situation and will make a move when the time is right.
Reports from earlier this week stated Arsenal have narrowed down on Gabriel Jesus as their primary transfer target for the summer transfer window. The North London club are being viewed as favourites to secure the signature of Manchester City striker. A report from The Athletic also claimed that Jesus was being tracked by Edu for months now.
Another Athletic report suggests that Erling Haaland has approved a move to Manchester City and that his intermediaries have agreed on personal terms with the club so far. This could be an alarming news for the former Palmeiras striker as his game time would get reduced significantly.
With the Brazilians’ playtime already so limited, the arrival of a world-class striker like Haaland might prove to be detrimental to Jesus’s City career. It is crucial to see how Jesus and his representatives react to the situation, with City’s pursuit of the Borussia Dortmund hitman being extremely evident to the ones keeping up with the saga which has already begun even before the transfer window has started.
Jesus has proven himself to be one of the most versatile and hardworking forward-minded players out there. He has slotted into every position available in the City frontline and helped the Guardiola system dominate the rest of the Premier League for three seasons now. Coming from a star-studded, winning team like City, the injection of such a decorated player who has won silverware every season since his arrival will only strengthen the mentality of the Arsenal squad that hasn’t seen as much success.
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Moreover, having previously worked with Mikel Arteta when he was a part of City’s coaching staff, Jesus had already established chemistry with the current Arsenal manager when he heaped praises for the Spaniard in 2019.
Perhaps, working with Arteta and in a squad that lacks that finishing blow up top, Gabriel can reignite his career as the main man at one of the biggest clubs in the world. It remains to be seen whether Pep Guardiola opts to retain the Brazil international’s services next season, but Arteta and Edu must not be discouraged by any of the criticism thrown his way.
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