Graeme Souness has praised Mikel Arteta for getting rid of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January market and then signing an ‘upgrade’ for Arsenal in Gabriel Jesus this summer.
Souness praises Arteta for signing Aubameyang ‘upgrade’ in Jesus for Arsenal
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is back in the Premier League after Chelsea agreed a deadline day deal with Barcelona for the Gabon striker. But Graeme Souness has noted in a column for the Daily Mail that Mikel Arteta got Arsenal an ‘upgrade’ through signing Gabriel Jesus.
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Aubameyang left the Emirates Stadium for the Camp Nou at the close of the January sales earlier this year after Arteta stripped the forward of the Gunners’ captaincy. Arsenal even had to pay a lump £7m to terminate the rest of his £350k-a-week contract, per The Times.
Arteta felt Aubameyang was no longer fit to skipper his north London team after what the club declared in a statement to be his ‘latest disciplinary breach’. He did not play again for Arsenal before joining Barcelona in a free transfer, following 92 goals in 163 appearances.
Barcelona would gain 13 goals from 24 appearances before selling the 73-cap international to Chelsea on deadline day this week for £10m, plus left-back Marcos Alonso. While Arteta agreed a £45m deal with Manchester City in July to sign Jesus as Arsenal’s new star striker.
Jesus is already proving to be a tremendous fit for Arteta’s squad, having struck an instant connection with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli. The 25-year-old has three goals and three assists through his first five Premier League games with the Gunners.
Aubameyang could face former side at Stamford Bridge on November 5
Aubameyang could now face his former side at Stamford Bridge when Arsenal visit Chelsea on November 5. The Blues make the reverse trip from west to north London on April 29 in the final weeks of the 2022/23 Premier League term, likely fighting for a top-four position.
Souness expects Aubameyang to offer Chelsea an immediate upside as his last-gasp arrival affords Thomas Tuchel a proven Premier League star. But the Liverpool legend believes by signing Jesus from Manchester City, Arteta has actually secured Arsenal the better striker.
“The upside to signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on deadline day is that Chelsea now have a striker who has scored goals in the Premier League, something notoriously hard to find,” Souness wrote.
“The downside is that he’s 33 and has a dodgy gene somewhere. Mikel Arteta did very well for Arsenal – and for his own longevity as manager – by getting Aubameyang out of the building, and seems to have found an upgrade in Gabriel Jesus.”
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