Will Gabriel Jesus be the prolific goalscorer Arsenal have badly needed?


Gabriel Jesus

Will Gabriel Jesus be the prolific goalscorer Arsenal have badly needed? 

By Matt Wright 

New signing Gabriel Jesus started in the way all Arsenal fans hope he means to go on by scoring twice in his first pre-season appearance for the club against Nuremburg on Saturday. 

Ninety seconds after coming on as a substitute at half-time, Jesus found the net with a thumping finish from a tricky angle to round off a move the £45 million arrival from Manchester City had started himself. 

During what was an entertaining 5-3 victory, the 25-year-old later showed his poaching instincts by attacking the near post to turn in Charlie Patino’s cross from close range. 

This came after his mere presence in the six-yard box panicked a Nuremburg defender into scoring into his own net, so it’s fair to say Jesus’ impact was immediate. 

Quite rightly, Gooners around the world are excited by their new No.9, a Brazilian international who has four Premier League titles under his belt, along with one of the best minutes per goal ratios in the competition’s history. 

The excitement comes due to the fact Mikel Arteta badly needed a goalscorer after falling out and eventually parting with his previous regular netbuster, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. 

In Jesus, he now has someone to trouble defences and lead the line stylishly after a lack of a focal point proved one of the reasons why Arsenal’s push for a Champions League place fell short last season. 

With players like Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and fellow new boy Fabio Vieira providing ammunition, goals ought to be a guarantee as far as Jesus is concerned. 

Only six players in Premier League history who have scored over 15 times can better his average of a goal every 160 minutes, something he managed at City despite not being an automatic choice in their starting line-up. 

Granted, scoring goals for Pep Guardiola’s side hasn’t been too difficult for anyone over the last five years and it remains to be seen how Jesus handles being the main man up front and the extra pressure that will come with it. 

He didn’t quite live up to the billing as Sergio Aguero’s replacement at the Etihad Stadium, but his record of 95 goals in 236 games is still nothing to be sniffed at. 

It’s not like he can be accused of being a flat-track bully, either, as he netted in big games against Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Real Madrid over the course of last season. 

The only concern will be the number of chances Jesus sometimes needed to score for City, with Jesus having the second biggest negative differential between goals scored and expected goals since his arrival in the Premier League in January 2017. 

He will need to take care in making a greater percentage of his shots count if he is to be a success for Arteta at Arsenal, but his work-rate and movement in the area should mean plenty of openings will continue to come his way. 

The Gunners were on the receiving end of Jesus’ attacking instincts on three occasions during his time with City, with many of his old club’s supporters believing it was a mistake to let him go this summer. 

Chances are he will prove them right, with his double salvo in Germany just for starters. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images 

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