Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal- Awkward Fit or Perfect Purchase?

Ever since Mikel Arteta took over at Arsenal in 2019, he has been searching for his ideal number nine to lead the front line he envisions. While he walked into a team with Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre Emerick-Aubamayeng, neither of them seemed to be a perfect fit as he preferred to play Aubameyang as a wide forward and Lacazette could link play well but didn’t score enough goals. With brilliant creators such as Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Emile Smith-Rowe, Arsenal need a focal point of the attack who can combine well and put the ball in the back of the net. Enter Gabriel Jesus, who the Londoners have all but officially signed for about $55 million from Premier League foes Manchester City. On paper, Jesus may be listed as a striker, but he is very versatile and it remains unclear what his best role is. However, he is a very good player regardless, so how will this all work?

Jesus joined Manchester City at just 19 years old in 2017, and since then he has scored 95 goals and notched 46 assists in 234 appearances. His best season numerically was 2019-20, when he scored 23 goals and had 14 assists in all competitions. Jesus mostly played as a central striker for his first three years in Manchester, but in the past two he has been pushed out wide often as Pep Guardiola preferred a false nine down the middle or a more fluid front three. It will be interesting to see if Arteta chooses to move Jesus around like Guardiola did, or if he believes Jesus could be a more consistent presence down the middle. Of course, Jesus’s versatility is not a bad thing, and it gives Arsenal many tactical options a more traditional striker would not, but their team is crying out for someone to play in front of their creative players, so if Jesus cannot offer that they may be in the market for another center-forward quicker than expected.

Arsenal are hoping Jesus will fit in well with their current attacking talents

Arteta seems to like to have strikers who can drop in, be fluid along the front line, and combine well with wingers and attacking midfielders, as Lacazette had success setting up Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Smith-Rowe for a stretch of last season. However, as previously mentioned Lacazette simply wasn’t scoring enough, so Jesus’s superior talent will hopefully shine through. He has shown the ability in the past to set up chances for others while playing both out wide and as a nine, but can he combine that with the pure goal scoring threat Arsenal need? Arteta and his staff certainly hope so, but his inconsistencies in front of goal in a City side that creates the most chances in all of world football is at least slightly worrisome. Jesus will need to be more clinical and efficient for the Gunners, and prove he has the “killer instinct” that all elite strikers possess.

Jesus is a very good footballer and only 25 years old, so there is not much downside to the deal. However, it will be critical for Arteta to be clear in his instructions on what he wants from Jesus, and how they use him could depend on if he is ready to be a striker every week in the Premier League. He will probably find a good role in this Arsenal side, but is it the one where they need him most? That is the $55 million question.