Arsenal are getting closer to a summer change for Gabriel Jesus, but questions about the best role for the Manchester City striker continue to linger before the money change.
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As Arsenal approach a play by Gabriel Jesus, the Brazilian is closer to finally resolving the debate over his best position.
When he signed for Manchester City from Palmeiras in 2017, there was little apparent debate. City were signing a striker, also prolific, with a 20-goal season at their waist at just 19 years old.
There have been many times when the argument also seemed resolved. Gabriel Jesús may not have been Pep Guardiola’s first choice, especially when Sergio Agüero was at his best, but he was still, without a doubt, the number nine.
The most recent season, however, raised some doubts. And now, as he prepares to swap the Etihad for the Emirates Stadium in a £ 45m deal, the 25-year-old will settle matters without a shadow of a doubt.
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Although Gabriel Jesus had been forced to move wide in previous seasons, it became a more concrete role for him at the start of the 2021-22 campaign. At the time, he made the right noises, demonstrating his commitment to the cause, but now no education is needed.
“It might have seemed different to you, but not to me, because I’ve been playing as a winger in Brazil with the national team for the last two years,” he said in August 2021. “For me to play right. The wing is more normal now. I can help my team with the runs behind, I can help the defenses, that’s all. ”
It wasn’t always like that, though. He has had some difficult times as the most orthodox striker internationally – especially on target at the 2018 World Cup – and a walk away has allowed him to take stock and enjoy a while off the shooting line while playing again. form. However, he can’t do it forever, and now is the time to decide what it is will be separate from what he has been .
While the leader could have been comfortable moving to accommodate more established internationals, or important figures like Agüero, having been forced to move to the side while Ferran Torres held a central position at City could have been more difficult to ‘take on. It is now up to him to act decisively to ensure that it is not repeated in north London.
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Gabriel Jesus can be established as a central striker at Arsenal (
Image:
Visionhaus / Getty Images)
In recent seasons, Arsenal have found themselves using people like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in wide-ranging roles even though the pair were nominally signed as scorers. While the former has a record of threats from wide starting points, he often felt more like a square peg in a round hole than Lacazette.
There will no doubt be questions about the role of Eddie Nketiah, with the academy graduate putting the pen on the role of a long-term deal and grabbing the old Aubameyang No. 14 jersey. Nketiah is also more of a striker inside the area, so it’s hard to see him as effective from a starting position outside.
Still, Arsenal will have more games this season due to their Europa League qualification, and the sight of a consolidated central striker does not mean they will not use Gabriel Jesus in the same role.
What’s more, it’s not like Arteta doesn’t know what she’s getting. He worked with the former Palmeiras when he was part of Guardiola’s technical team, and will have seen a lot of what Gabriel Jesus can do.
At 25, Gabriel Jesus has more first-class experience than other players his age. However, it is no longer just a prospect, and the money Arsenal is preparing to spend speaks for itself.
Mikel Arteta must be sure of the type of player he will welcome to north London before reaching an agreement. Surely Gabriel Jesus knows it himself, and now is the time to make it as clear as possible.
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