Arsenal sign Gabriel Jesus – Key positives of the deal for Arsenal

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By Martin Graham | 28th Jun 2022

Mikel Arteta has finally gotten his man after weeks of negotiating with his former club Manchester City. The Gunners have secured the signing of Gabriel Jesus for £45 million and he will come in to lead their attack.

You must have seen all the comments about ‘Jesus’ and the angel ‘Gabriel’ coming to save the club by Arsenal fans who are very excited about the signing. The Gunners currently have no players with Premier League winning experience and this signing is a big one for them in that regard.

Jesus, 25, signed a reported four-year contract with the club which is also big news for the fans. The potential is huge as the striker, who is a four-time Premier League winner, is still young and can commit most of his years to the club.

There are a number of positives to be taken from the signing and in the following sections, we will outline the key ones.

Versatility

Gabriel Jesus is a striker but under Pep Guardiola, he has morphed into an all-round attacker. He is comfortable on both wings and in the centre. He can play as a supporting striker and can operate very well as a false nine.

Arteta is a believer in the 4-3-3 style of football but has had to play 4-2-3-1 on most occasions to get the best out of his team. Jesus comes in to provide the Spanish manager with more options as he can slot in alongside Eddie Nketiah in a two-striker formation as well.

Creativity

Gabriel Jesus’ time at Manchester City has been characterised by his unselfish play. When being drifted out wide, he has functioned excellently as an old-school winger focused on creating chances for the players in the middle than scoring.

He is also brilliant at ball carrying and has a very good passing range for a forward. This can help Nketiah, who is a much more limited striker but a good finisher with great movement and pace.

This will see the number of creators in the current Arsenal side increase as chances which usually came from Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka primarily will be augmented by Jesus. It also increases the Gunners’ chances of scoring more goals every game as all of Arsenal’s attackers are good finishers in their own right.

Excellent work rate

Jesus’ versatility also requires that he puts in the work which he does every time he is called upon. A Guardiola player is required to press high up the pitch and Jesus is one of the strictest adherents of that philosophy.

More than his other talents, his hard work stands out and that is why he has lasted this long at Manchester City. At some point, he threatened Sergio Aguero’s place in the team with his ability to press high up the pitch but the Argentine was too much of an expert to be kept on the bench.

That is how he came to be used in multiple attacking positions and it is a trait which stands him out among most Premier League attackers today. Arsenal are lacking in willing pressers and Jesus will bring the needed vim to the side as they push for a top-four place next season.

Big game player

Arsenal have lacked a big game player in recent years and this has stifled their progress in the Premier League and in many other competitions.

They now have their man in Jesus, who made a career for himself at the Etihad by scoring big goals in big moments for the club in the league, cups and in the UEFA Champions League.

He is not only a source of goals for these types of games but a source of assists too. Arsenal have made arguably their smartest attacking signing of the past few years with Jesus and it will be evident for all to see when the season begins.