"These things can mess with your mind" - Michail Antonio claims Arsenal star 'killed himself' with recent comments
West Ham United striker Michail Antonio has hit out at Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus for his recent comments. Fans and pundits criticised the Brazil international for his lack of end product and Antonio has claimed that he can only blame himself.
Jesus recently said that he is not a goalscoring striker. Antonio has claimed that the former Manchester City attacker has created more pressure because of his comments. He said that Jesus is struggling with a lack of confidence which is why he has been unable to score as many goals as he is capable of.
Antonio said on the Footballer’s Football Podcast, as quoted by TBR Football:
“I feel like Jesus killed himself when he went away with Brazil and said I’m not a goalscoring striker, I’m not a goalscoring forward. I feel like, I don’t think that’s something a player in his position should have said, being the number nine for Arsenal.
"I feel like he is quality, he is an unbelievable player and he should have the confidence that he is a goalscoring forward for the career that he’s had. The amount of times he came off the bench and scored for Man City, he is a bagsman. But right now he is obviously feeling the pressure with everyone saying he is not scoring enough."
Antonio insisted that Jesus is complicating things because of his overthinking and should focus more on his game. He added:
“Before the injury he was bagging so many goals, he is a goalscorer, nobody can tell him that he isn’t a goalscorer, but because he’s at Arsenal and he’s not scoring as frequently as he was before, people start talking about it and you have to defend yourself, these things can mess with your mind and can make you miss the chances like he missed against West Ham, because he’s overthinking it rather than just sticking his head on the ball.”
Gabriel Jesus hasn't been able to establish himself as a major goal threat at Arsenal following his £45 million switch from Manchester City in 2022. The Brazilian has only found the back of the net 18 times in 54 games while providing 11 assists.
Piers Morgan urges Arsenal to bring back former midfield enforcer
British TV broadcaster Piers Morgan has urged Arsenal to bring Granit Xhaka back to the club. He stressed the Gunners' need for a midfield enforcer like Roy Keane or Patrick Vieira and urged Mikel Arteta to sign such a figure.
While hitting out at Arsenal for complaining to the PGMOL over Bukayo Saka being targeted, Morgan insisted that the Gunners are missing a destroyer like Xhaka. He wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account:
“Embarrassing. Instead of whining about tough tackles, we need to sign a Vieira/Keane style enforcer who will dish it out even harder… or get Xhaka back.”
Xhaka spent seven years at Arsenal joining the club from German side Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016. The Switzerland skipper had plenty of ups and downs during his time at the club but left the club as a fan favorite.
Bayer Leverkusen signed the experienced midfielder in a deal reportedly worth £21.4 million in the summer of 2023. Xhaka has been excellent for Xabi Alonso's side, who are both unbeaten across competitions and also lead the Bundesliga standings. He has registered one assist in 23 games across competitions.