Mikel Arteta must now ruthlessly axe Eddie Nketiah from his starting line-up away to Everton on Sunday after claiming signing Gabriel Jesus has ‘changed Arsenal’s world’.
The Brazilian switched to Emirates Stadium from Manchester City in July 2022 to help Arteta replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. Arsenal had let both forwards leave north London earlier in the year without earning a single penny from either departure.
Yet Manchester City would come to rue selling Jesus to Arsenal for £45m. The 26-year-old helped transform Arteta’s squad into Premier League title contenders last term. He had won four top-flight titles over his five years at Etihad Stadium, and will target his fifth this season.
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Arteta loves the chaos that Jesus brought to Arsenal
Arsenal ultimately failed to maintain their push for the title in 2022/23 despite spending 248 days atop the table. Losing Jesus for three months did not help their cause after he required surgery for his knee injury. The forward sustained ligament damage while at the World Cup.
Jesus had transformed the Arsenal frontline before the blow with his dogged approach often opening space for others to exploit. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli thrived in the spaces that Jesus’ runs created. While Jesus still scored 11 goals and assisted seven in 26 outings.
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But another minor operation on the same knee meant Jesus missed the start of the 2023/24 season. He reported some discomfort ahead of the campaign and missed Arsenal’s first two fixtures. But Jesus got his first goal of the campaign to seal the win over Manchester United.
Jesus kept his calm to evade Jonny Evans’ desperate lunge after replacing Nketiah in the late stages. Now, Arteta has sung the praises for what Jesus has brought to Arsenal ahead of the Gunners visiting Everton. He loves the chaos the Sao Paulo native adds to their side.
“I think he brought a different energy, a different belief, a different threat, a different fear to opponents,” Arteta said, via the Evening Standard. “And he did it in a really natural way. He contributed hugely to the step that we had last season.”
Arteta added: “He is a tremendous player, a really important player for us. He changed our world last season. You could all see that. He is going to be a really important player for us.”
Arteta must now axe Nketiah for Jesus at Everton
Arteta must now follow his vivid praise for Jesus by ruthlessly axing Nketiah and starting the Brazilian when Arsenal face Everton. Nketiah has scored twice so far this season after hitting home against Nottingham Forest and Fulham. But he does not give the same force as Jesus.
Jesus also replaced Nketiah against Manchester United while level at 1-1 as the new England international could not net again. He offered a busy performance for most of the match. But the 24-year-old’s most telling moments came in the build-up to Martin Odegaard’s equaliser.