Mikel Arteta says Gabriel Jesus is ready to start games for Arsenal after coming through a series of substitute appearances unscathed.
The Brazil international made his long-awaited return from ACL surgery during the 3-0 win over Club Brugge two weeks ago, before adding further minutes against Wolves and Everton. After 11 months out, he looks sharp, and despite the club recruiting Viktor Gyokeres during his absence, Jesus has made it clear he has no intention of moving when the January transfer window opens.
This time last year, he kick-started his season with a hat-trick against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, before scoring twice more against the same opponents in the league three days later. A January injury cruelly halted that momentum, but with Palace returning to the Emirates in the League Cup, he will hope history can repeat itself.
Ahead of Saturday’s win on Merseyside, Arteta was asked whether Jesus is ready to start.
“Yes, he is. You can see now, not only in games, every day in training, how much he wants it. He’s going to deserve a chance soon.”
Asked whether he was surprised by how sharp his striker looks, Arteta added:
“I was watching when he was seven months [post-injury] aalready on the pitch and the way he was moving and how much he wanted it.”
Jesus offers something different to Arteta’s other options up front. With Kai Havertz still sidelined after his own torrid spell with injuries, the manager has leaned on midfielder Mikel Merino and new signing Gyokeres, whose direct running style is still bedding in.
Asked whether Jesus’ ability to link play could elevate the team, Arteta said:
“I think that’s probably the biggest quality of Gabi, bringing people together, connecting with people and generating a lot of uncertainty in the opponent.
“When you see him [against Everton], the amount of spaces that he was involved in, that’s his biggest quality. So we need to exploit that.”
In a recent piece for The Players’ Tribune, Jesus penned a heartfelt letter to his family, thanking them for supporting him through his injury ordeal. He also spoke of his desire to end Arsenal’s wait for major silverware, determined to “wake up the sleeping giant.”
“I think he wrote a beautiful letter there explaining what football means to him and how it affects his life. I think it was something beautiful,” said Arteta.
You could argue Arsenal have been wide awake since Jesus arrived. His signing, alongside Oleksandr Zinchenko, helped propel Arteta’s side from Champions League hopefuls to genuine title challengers. Who knows how far they might have gone had he not injured his knee at the mid-season Qatar World Cup during the 2022/23 campaign.
“It’s been a really intense journey,” reflected Arteta.
“I think when he joined us, I think he lifted the belief, the spirit and the energy of the club and the team. I think he gave something very different to what we already had, and it was really impressive.
“And then he had some very bad injuries that hasn’t allowed him to have the consistency that we need from a very important player. But he’s back, I think his fighting his spirit, he’s decided to always prepare the best way. He’s unbelievable and the team has got it now and we need to use it.”