Arteta wants to keep the playerplaceholder image
Arteta wants to keep the player | AFP via Getty Images
Arsenal could be handed the chance to offload a player in January, giving Mikel Arteta a decision to make.
One European club are said to be determined to land an Arsenal star in the January transfer window. The Gunners have had a superb season so far, currently on course to end their long wait for another Premier League title.
There is much work still to do for Arsenal, but it is so far, so good, with the Gunners looking particularly strong when it comes to depth. Arteta has options in every position after a summer transfer window that saw them finally address their depth issue, one that has arguably cost them at least two titles.
The depth has allowed Arsenal to remain steady even in the wake of injuries, and one player who knows all too well about injuries is Gabriel Jesus. The striker has been unlucky with injuries during his career, and his latest kept him out for the best part of a year.
Jesus ruptured his ACL early in 2025 and finally returned last week. It was a long road back from Jesus, but he will now be on a mission to prove himself given he was a already hanging on at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to strikers, behind Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres.
But with Havertz having struggled with injuries himself, Jesus may be able to steak a claim to remain part of this Arsenal group. In fact, Arteta himself said over the weekend that he is not considering selling the Brazilian forward.
Asked about the prospect of a sale, the Spaniard said: “I don’t consider that, especially with the situation we have right now. I think Gabby has a lot to offer to the team – and he has proven that straight away, in the first minutes that he was available to play.”
Asked if Jesus could be a starter, he added: “Yes, I mean a player of his quality, a player that has given us so much and he comes with the energy that he came the other day. He’s certainly a player that has to be pushing and aiming for that, that’s for sure.”
AC Milan not giving up hope
Despite that update, it has been reported by GOAL that AC Milan are not giving up on the prospect of signing Jesus in January. Milan are currently one point behind Inter Milan at the top of the Serie A table, and it’s reported they want to add extra depth to their front line.
Arsenal could make things difficult if Arteta really does see Jesus as an important piece going forward, and the 28-year-old is under contract until 2027, so the Gunners don’t necessarily need to consider a sale.
And it would be wise for Arteta to keep Jesus around given what happened last season. Arsenal were down to two strikers when Jesus picked up his injury, and Havertz picked up an injury of his own shortly after, leaving the Gunners without any natural strikers.
That’s always a possibility when you have just two strikers, and so Arteta will likely have learned from that, likely now seeing the importance of keeping three forwards on the books.
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