Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus sent a warning shot across the bow of quite a few Arsenal fans after the Brazilian international put in a scintillating display during City’s 5-1 trouncing of Watford at the Etihad this afternoon.
Recent rumors have linked the Santos academy graduate with serious interest from Arsenal with the versatile forward looking destined for a move away from the northwest of England, with the Gunners said to be in pole position to land the forward in the upcoming summer window.
With growing reports suggesting that Jesus and his camp are in advanced talks with Arsenal technical director Edu Gaspar, many took to social media to question whether or not the north London club should be targeting the Brazilian who has – on the surface – failed to live up to the reputation he built for himself at youth level back home.
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53’ ⚽✨ Gabriel Jesus today ✨ pic.twitter.com/WdhDdd2qmc
— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 23, 2022
What transpired at the Etihad for City earlier today was a very timely reminder of just how good Jesus can be on his day as he smashed four goals past the Hornets while bagging an assist as the icing on top of a man of the match performance.
His tally for the season in the Premier League doubled and then some come full-time, with Jesus now sitting on 7-goals and 8-assists in the league this term, to make it 11-goals across all competitions.
But some of the data surrounding Jesus and his time at City paints a picture that he is below the profile of striker that Arsenal may want, given links this season with the likes of Dušan Vlahović, Victor Osimhen, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin to name just a few.
However, dig deeper, and you will find a player that has averaged 0.5-goals/match when deployed as a center-forward and whose numbers only significantly decrease when he is utilized as a winger.
With Mikel Arteta familiar with Jesus owing to his time on the City touchline, today’s display could give rise to another transfer masterstroke by Arsenal should a deal come to fruition.
This article was edited by
Conor Laird.
