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Arsenal want Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City but Premier League legend Cesc Fabregas admits he expected the Gunners to prioritise ‘another type of striker’…
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano recently stated that the Manchester City forward is now top of the Gunners‘ transfer priority list.
This comes after The Athletic reported in April that the Gunners are exploring the possibility of signing the talented forward this summer after City confirmed the signing of Erling Braut Haaland.
On paper at least, there are a number of reasons why a summer swoop for City’s Brazil international makes sense.
Jesus, after all, is proven in the Premier League. He’d slot in nicely to a dressing room with plenty of Portuguese speakers. What’s more, the Brazilian worked under Mikel Arteta at the Etihad Stadium too, when he was assistant coach to Pep Guardiola.
According to Goal, Arsenal submitted a £43 million bid recently. Should City accept, Jesus will also come a lot cheaper than recent targets Dusan Vlahovic, Darwin Nunez, Alexander Isak and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
But while expressing his belief that a prolific goalscorer ‘would take Arsenal to the next level’, former club captain Fabregas is wondering whether the former Palmeiras star is capable of scoring at a reliable enough rate without the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and co serving up chances on a silver platter.
“The only thing missing (at Arsenal) is the striker,” the former World Cup winner said to London World.
“I think if they had a consistent striker, a top player who scores 25 to 30 goals a season like Liverpool with (Mo) Salah, that would take them to the next level.
“(But) I expected Arsenal to sign another type of striker – someone who attacks the space more. I really like (Gabriel Jesus) as a player and I think he can do a little bit of everything, but I wouldn’t say he’s amazing at anything.
“Sometimes, when you’ve got De Bruyne, (Ilkay) Gundogan and Bernardo Silva behind you, it can feel easy for you as a player. At Arsenal, for some time at least, he will not have those kinds of players behind him.”
Our thoughts on Fabregas’ comments..
The Spaniard is indeed right about the quality behind Jesus at Manchester City in comparison to Arsenal. However, the likes of Saka, Odegaard and Smith Rowe have proven throughout the campaign that they are influential outlets when creating chances.
According to SofaScore, Saka has registered six assists so far in the Premier League this campaign, along with eight big chances created and averaging 1.8 key passes. The Norwegian maestro Odegaard has recorded four assists, from six big chances created all while averaging 2.1 key passes and lastly Gabriel Martinelli holds 5 assists in the English top flight, with four big chances created and averaging 1.1 key passes per game.
Had they played alongside Jesus’ tremendous Premier League goals + assists (90 in 158 appearances) record for City since his move there in 2017, the north London outfit may well have been in a much better position in the table.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea star’s comments is unfair on these flawless young talents, and if Mikel Arteta can bolster such quality in his squad this summer along with the capture of Jesus then there is no reason why the Brazilian forward can’t provide the Gunners with the goals they need to hit that next level next season.
AND in other news, £19.8m-rated Arsenal target who is a “special talent” close to signing new deal…
