Gabriel Jesus is out for a while with injury.
Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson is worried that Gabriel Jesus’ injury could hurt the Gunners’ title chances.
The Brazilian has been a revelation for the Gunners since arriving from Manchester City this summer. Unfortunately, he’s sidelined for a few months after picking up an injury at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar while playing for Brazil.
Arteta is likely to turn to Eddie Nketiah to lead his team’s line in Jesus’ absence. However, in his column for The Daily Star, Merson said that his former team cannot win the title without Jesus.
“I try not to read too much into friendlies, but it’s a massive worry for Arsenal that they’re now relying on out-of-form Eddie Nketiah when the Premier League returns. They could go eight points clear if they beat West Ham before Manchester City play a game, and you still wouldn’t fancy them to win the title without Gabriel Jesus,” wrote Merson.
He added:
“It’s hard because even though he doesn’t score an awful lot of goals, he is still so effective. If he’s out for three months, I’d be shocked if they got in the top four. I just don’t see where the goals come from, I might be wrong.”
As reported by various sources, Eddie Nketiah has been working on his all-round game by doing extra sessions after training as he prepares to take pole position in the absence of Gabriel Jesus.Boxing Day awaits… #afc https://t.co/1IiZhEgTj7
Merson pointed out that Nketiah is not good enough to lead the line at the Emirates.
“I don’t really see Gabriel Martinelli being a solution through the middle; he’s not a proven centre-forward. Without being horrible, what Premier League team does Eddie Nketiah get in?” wrote Merson.
He continued:
“Wolves are bottom for instance; they’re desperate for a goal, and they wouldn’t go and get him. For me, it’s really worrying. This is no disrespect to Nketiah or the other players, but Jesus gels everything together. He is Arsenal’s very own Roberto Firmino.”
- Jesus has appeared 20 times for the north London side this season, registering five goals and seven assists.