Arsenal take on Sheffield United this weekend in the EPL but Gabriel Jesus has missed the match due to yet another injury setback.
The Brazilian international scored and assisted one during Arsenal’s midweek clash against Sevilla but he was forced off late in the second half.
Initially, Gabriel Jesus had claimed that the knock was not serious and that he would be back in action in no time but the worst came true because further scans have revealed that there’s a muscle injury and he will be out of action for several weeks.
The manager told the press on Friday: “The scan shows that there is a muscle injury and we might lose him for a few weeks again. With Gabby, I cannot give you any timeframe because he always surprises us, but there is something there.
“He felt it in a really awkward action and it’s true he’s had quite a lot of load in the last few weeks with the national team and then playing those games, which he hasn’t done in a long, long time. That’s really bad news for us.”
Gabriel Jesus was very impactful during his time with Manchester City but constant injuries have hindered his progress at Arsenal. Last year, he was absent for almost 100 days with a knee injury, missing 17 games and then he also went on to miss the start of this campaign due to surgery.
Jesus was brought in to be the main goalscorer at Arsenal but this season, he’s fallen down the pecking order as Mikel Arteta is favouring Eddie Nketiah as his primary centre-forward.
The Arsenal manager was hoping Gabriel Jesus would fight for his place in the side but this fresh injury might be the final nail in the coffin. Rumours are ripe that Arsenal are looking to bring in a new centre-forward and with Jesus’s latest injury setback, Arteta could ask his board to sign someone as early as January.
Who is Arsenal likely to sign as the replacement for Gabriel Jesus?
Gabriel Jesus has scored 15 goals in 44 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions but injuries have been a nightmare for the Brazilian.
Arsenal are challenging for the Premier League title and there’s no way that players like Jesus and Nketiah will be able to shoulder all the goalscoring burden. Mikel Arteta will have to bring in a new striker and right now, the Gunners are eyeing several options.
The first name on the list is Ivan Toney and as per the reports, the Bees striker is very much keen to join the Gunners. Toney has previously claimed that he wants to play for a top Premier League side and according to the transfer experts, the forward is open to joining Arsenal at the start of the new year.
Arsenal are also keeping tabs on Victor Osimhen but there’s no way the Gunners will be able to bring him on board during the January window. Osimhen, if he doesn’t sign a new deal with Napoli, will only be available for sale at the end of this season and apart from Arsenal, several other big clubs want him on board.
Gabriel Jesus is not likely to be back in action before January and even when he returns, the Brazilian international will need time to get back to full fitness. Arteta was possibly delaying the signing of a new centre-forward till the summer so he could have multiple options but now, the manager has no option but to fast-track things and bring in someone during the winter window.
Ivan Toney looks the best candidate at the moment because the player is himself interested in joining the North London side and even the Bees will let him leave for a fee of around £55-60 million. It will be a steep fee to pay because Arsenal spent a hell lot of money during the summer window but if they can offload Gabriel Jesus at the end of the 23/24 season, the club should be able to recoup most of that money.
