"He ticks the boxes" - Paul Merson claims Manchester City star would be good fit for Arsenal
Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson believes the Gunners should sign Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus this summer. He believes the Brazilian's familiarity with Gunners manager Mikel Arteta and his experience of winning trophies make him a 'good fit' at the Emirates.
Jesus joined City in 2016 from Palmeiras. He has scored 95 goals and made 46 assists in 236 appearances across competitions for them. He bagged eight goals and nine assists in 28 Premier League appearances this season as the Cityzens won their fourth title in five years.
Arsenal, meanwhile, failed to make the top four, falling two points short of rivals Tottenham Hotspur. They had the youngest starting XI this season, but their inexperience showed in the last few weeks as they lost crucial games against Spurs and Newcastle United.
Considering the same, Merson believes the Gunners should sign experienced players this summer, including Jesus. In his column for Daily Star, he wrote:
"The next few players Arsenal buy need to be experienced professionals, in my opinion, ideally 28 or 29 years old. They need experience in the team. They have a lorryload of promising youngsters, but they froze when it came to the crunch. They've got to get some experience in the team."
He added:
"Gabriel Jesus would be a good fit. He's only 25, but he ticks the boxes because he scores goals. Arteta knows him, and he has experience of winning trophies with Manchester City. It's alright having young players, but the problem is one minute they are up high, and the next minute they are down low."
Jesus has been linked with a move to Arsenal since City signed Erling Haaland (via Mirror). However, the Gunners will have to wait till the international break concludes to learn Jesus' decision about his future, with Tottenham Hotspur also interested in acquiring his services.
Gabriel Jesus’ agent, Marcelo Pettinati, tells me:
“At the moment we’re understanding all of the projects [on offer], so right now isn’t the time to say anything. Things will advance after his time with the national team.” https://t.co/d6l9jzkGXr
Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus a great option for Arsenal
The Gunners have struggled for goals this season. Their highest goalscorer has been Bukayo Saka, who has scored just 12 times across competitions.
Their main strikers, Alexandre Lacazette and Edward Nketiah, have struggled immensely. Nketiah has scored just five Premier League goals in 21 appearances, while Lacazette has four in 30.
Arsenal's U-23 attacking players (Odegaard, ESR, Saka, Martinelli, Eddie) scored 39 goals from an xG of 33 in the PL, outperforming by 6.
Arsenal's non-U-23 attacking players (Lacazette, Aubameyang and Pepe) scored 9 goals from an xG of 18, underperforming by 9.
Interesting.
In comparison, Jesus scored four goals in a league game against Watford in April.
Lacazette and Nketiah's contracts with the club are set to expire this summer. As per Football London, the Gunners could offer the latter a new contract, but Lacazette looks set to leave. It's quite evident the north London side need major reinforcements in attack this summer.