Speaking on the Highbury Squad YouTube channel, Kevin Campbell has been discussing Arsenal and their acquisition of Gabriel Jesus this summer.
The Gunners made the Brazilian their marquee signing in the summer transfer window, signing the striker for £45m from Manchester City, and it’s fair to say that the attacker has impressed so far.
Indeed, Campbell has been blown away by the forward’s work rate and technical ability, and after just seven games, he already feels that the £45m fee is an absolute steal.
What’s been said?
Campbell spoke about Jesus.
“Jesus goes into the full-back position making tackles, he’s everywhere, but one thing he doesn’t do, he doesn’t not do his job at the other end. He’s always in the box, always a threat and he has a bit of devilment as well,” Campbell said.
“I don’t think many people thought he would be this good. We went in with balaclavas on, we got him for a steal at £45m, that’s cheap.”
Not that cheap
Campbell is speaking about this transfer as if it was an absolute robbery, and while £45m for a player of Jesus’ talents is a good deal these days, context is everything here.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves and start calling this one of the signings of the season, let’s not forget the context around this transfer. Jesus was entering the final year of his Manchester City contract when Arsenal went in for the Brazilian, and with his contract ticking down, the Gunners didn’t get a massive bargain.
Usually, when a player is entering the final year of his deal, they’re available for a cut-price fee, but in this case £45m was probably about right for Jesus.
This was a good deal, but by no means was it an absolute bargain.
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