Arsenal now have one ‘concern’ with £45m ace who Arteta viewed as a ‘game-changer’

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There may well be a worry about Gabriel Jesus at Arsenal.

It has been suggested that there could be doubts about Gabriel Jesus’ ability to deliver what Arsenal expect of him. 

Jesus is undeniably a fine player, and he has been in great form of late. The Brazilian striker was lauded for producing a “near-perfect” performance against Brighton and Hove Albion last time out. 

There is no doubt that, at his best, Jesus improves Arsenal’s attacking play as a whole. He leads the press brilliantly, adds flair and dynamism, and links up well with the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, and Bukayo Saka.

The 26-year-old was a revelation at the Emirates Stadium following his £45 million arrival from Manchester City in the summer of 2022. Mikel Arteta said that the forward changed Arsenal’s world.

However, since then there have been injury issues which have seen him sidelined for vital periods, and an ongoing habit of being wasteful in front of goal. Jesus is not the most prolific striker, and has drawn criticism for his profligacy in the past. In 51 appearances for the north London club to date, he has netted 18 times. Whilst this is a decent return, it does not rank him amongst the elite. 

The fact that Arsenal have recently been linked with transfer interest in a number of strikers suggests that Arteta is open to bringing a more efficient and clinical player to the club. 

Are Arsenal happy with Gabriel Jesus?

Journalist Paul Brown has questioned if the Gunners can possibly be entirely satisfied with Jesus’ strike-rate. As quoted by GiveMeSport, he said, “I know for a fact that Arteta is happy with Jesus’ contribution. He gives the team a lot, but there comes a point when the guy who you bought to provide the goals needs to be scoring and I think that that is going to be a concern really at Arsenal for some time.”

“He hasn’t looked prolific since he joined the team and I think they were really hoping that he would be a game changer, not just in terms of his personality and character, which I definitely think have had an impact and rubbed off on his teammates. He’s come in as a winner and that’s helped to inspire them.”

This comment raises an interesting question over whether a striker who can reliably bang in 20+ goals per season would be preferable to Jesus, who does not hit those numbers, but improves the play and output of those around him.

As things stand, Arteta has structured this team to score goals by committee. Along with Jesus, the likes of Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard, and Eddie Nketiah, amongst others, are all expected to chip in. This makes Arsenal less reliant upon one hitman, who could suffer an injury or loss of form at any time. In this system, Jesus is the perfect fit, as long as he can maintain his form and fitness.

Ultimately, though, the time may come when Arsenal decide Jesus simply does not deliver enough in terms of end product.