Kevin Campbell has lauded the qualities of Gabriel Jesus and his importance to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Ever since Gabriel Jesus swapped trophy-winning Manchester City for Arsenal during the summer of 2022, he has had spates of injuries at his new club, which haven’t helped matters for him or his team.
But when he has been on the pitch, he has showcased his worth and proven to be a star performer.
Kevin Campbell highlighted how the 26-year-old is the ‘glue’ of Arsenal because of his ability to get the best out of those around him, as he told The Highbury Squad.
The former striker stated that Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and summer signing, Kai Havertz, all play better when the Brazil star is on the pitch.
This isn’t a typical number nine role that he plays, but a lot of his good work is done outside of the penalty box.
That’s why Kevin Campbell was raving about the player, who has scored in every Champions League game he has played in this season.
Gabriel Jesus’s importance to Arsenal
“All around the pitch, Jesus is back, he is playing after he was out earlier on in the season,” said Campbell.
“He is getting that connection. When Jesus plays well, you tend to find that Saka and Martinelli play well. Odegaard starts playing well. Havertz is starting to score goals and look a lot better.
“That’s really because we have a glue guy at the top end of the pitch. Someone who can get hold of the ball and really cause some problems and bring others into the game.
“I think Jesus is so important to what we do.”
Gabriel Jesus’ stats for Arsenal
On paper, some of it doesn’t make good reading because he only has one Premier League goal to his name this term and he is yet to register an assist.
And last season, from 33 games in all competitions, he scored 11 and assisted eight.
But a lot of that proves that stats always don’t tell the real story because Jesus is far more important to the team.
He is a prime example of someone who is far better than his stats suggest and a player who is probably underrated outside of his own fanbase.
Either way, if Arsenal are to win the Premier League title this season, then they need Jesus to stay fit until the final ball is kicked.
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