Arsenal aren’t after miracles from Gabriel Jesus

 Arsenal made a serious show of intent when luring Gabriel Jesus away from Manchester City in the summer of 2022, with the Brazil international talked into severing ties with the reigning Premier League champions.

Whatever the vision was that Mikel Arteta sold to the South American – having previously worked with him at the Etihad Stadium – it was bought into immediately and appeared destined to deliver the most productive of working relationships in north London.

Things did not play out entirely as planned from that point, with an unfortunate injury suffered at the 2022 World Cup finals that would disrupt individual and collective momentum.

Marksman

Jesus will, however, end the 2022-23 campaign in double figures for goals scored and should expect to figure prominently in EPL top goalscorer markets next term if he can steer clear of the treatment table. His time in Manchester proved that he can be a 20-plus marksman.

In fairness, Arsenal does not need him to scale such heights as there is enough firepower at Arteta’s disposal for the end product to be shared around. Jesus’ willingness to run the channels, drag opponents out of their comfort zone and put efforts on a plate for others – with six assists recorded during his debut season at the Emirates – proves that he is much more than an archetypal ‘fox in the box’.

If he can be prolific, great. If others are required to chip in when it comes to hitting the net, then they are more than happy to help out. Regular goalscorers are worth their weight in gold to any team, but relying on one person to deliver the goods is always a risky business.

The potential is there for Jesus to challenge the Golden Boot elite, with Emmanuel Adebayor having said of his claims to a prestigious individual prize: “[it]...Would actually be interesting to see him play a season without any worries. His potential is huge. Then you would be able to see if he would be in the fight for the goalscoring crown.”

Jesus’ impressive start to life at Arsenal, through pre-season and the early weeks of competitive action, showed what he is capable of and quickly endeared him to a fan base that will forever embrace those that are willing to run themselves into the ground for the good of the collective cause.

Confidence

The Brazilian frontman has always been something of a confident player, with his goals this season coming in groups, and strikers are notorious for needing regular minutes in which to work their way up to full speed.

Jesus was denied those for three months in the middle of a campaign in which he was still finding his feet in new surroundings and adjusting his game to meet the demands of a new coach and collection of team-mates that had previously only noted his talent from afar.

There is clearly more to come from him, and that is a thrilling prospect for all concerned. Arsenal do not require miracles from their version of Jesus, they just need him to be a loyal disciple.