Arsenal have been dealt a huge blow with Gabriel Jesus set for a spell on the sidelines, but they do not need to sign a replacement given the options they have in the squad.
Jesus is set to be out for a number of weeks, with Mikel Arteta confirming that the Brazilian underwent surgery following a flare up of his previous knee issue.
When he was injured last season, striker Eddie Nketiah was tasked with filling the void in his absence. He did it before, and he can now do it again.
The 24-year-old is one of the most heavily criticised players in the squad, but despite this, he is capable of leading the line in Jesus’ absence, both in terms of goals and all-round play.
Why Pele Is Overrated.
Nketiah stepped in sensationally well last season, with a stunning goal against West Ham and a match-winning brace against Manchester United among the highlights whilst Jesus was out, and an injury to Nketiah himself halted the progress he was making, having initially gone on a run of four goals in his first five starts of the season.
The Englishman was impressive in yesterday’s friendly draw with Monaco, leading the line superbly with his movement and link play, before finding the equaliser before half time.
MORE ARSENAL STORIES
Nketiah’s underrated brilliance
The academy graduate has developed incredibly well since Arteta’s arrival, and is no longer simply just a ‘fox in the box’ style of striker.
Through sheer determination, he has bulked out physically in the last two seasons, and his passing and dribbling skills have all improved alongside his intelligent movement and strong finishing ability.
Nketiah was described as “brilliant” by Gary Neville following his performance vs Man United last year, which saw him head in from an excellent leap to equalise in the first half, before being in the right place at the right time to slot in for a last-minute winner.
He ranks as one of Europe’s best ball-carrying strikers, and his goalscoring, passing and movement all rank incredibly well among his peers.
Whilst he might not be a flashy new signing, Nketiah has the ability to step in for Jesus over the coming months, and he can lead the line alongside Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli confident that he can provide enough goals, and link-up play, that Arteta’s side will not lose ground in the title race.