David Prutton feels Mikel Arteta ‘transformed’ the Arsenal attack through their transfer of Gabriel Jesus. He lauds the bond the Brazilian has with Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
Arsenal paid Manchester City £45m to sign Jesus this summer as Arteta sought a new first-choice striker. Eddie Nketiah was the only centre-forward left at the Emirates Stadium with Alexandre Lacazette re-joining Lyon. The Gunners let the Frenchman’s contract wind down.
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Jesus has been a revelation in north London with a dynamic presence at the tip of Arteta’s frontline. The 25-year-old has scored five goals and laid on four assists across his first nine Premier League games. He has also laid on an assist over 44 minutes in the Europa League.
Only in three matches has Jesus failed to score or lay on an assist in the Premier League for Arsenal. Arteta’s greater concern will be that the 56-cap attacker is already on four yellow cards for the term. He is now one booking away from a suspension that could be revealing.
Gabriel Jesus ‘transformed’ Arsenal attack with Saka and Martinelli, says Prutton
Jesus has been instrumental to the flow of Arsenal’s attacks, even when he has not made a direct influence on the scoring. His pressing has allowed the Gunners to play with a higher backline. The Sao Paulo native’s leadership is also hugely beneficial to their youthful team.
Part of why Jesus has made such a quick and unmistakable impact with Arsenal is the bond he has with Martinelli and Saka. Prutton has noted in his column for the Yorkshire Evening Post how the trio have taken Arsenal’s ability to cover all areas in the final-third up a level.
“The Arsenal attack has been transformed, really, with Gabriel Jesus through the middle and Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka either side,” the former Leeds United star wrote.
“We saw glimpses of it last season. But they attack with pace and purpose from both the wider parts of the pitch to the more intricate parts centrally.”
Jesus has combined with Granit Xhaka for the most goals since joining Arsenal during the summer. The Brazilian centre-forward and Swiss midfielder have combined for three goals. Jesus has connected with Saka, Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and Fabio Vieira all once each.
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