Arsenal legend Alan Smith says it will cost “a lot of money” to replace Gabriel Jesus if he is sold at the end of the season.
The Brazilian will have just a year left on his contract this summer, and there are no signs that he will be offered an extension despite indications that the player wants to stay. Asked by Best Betting Sites UK whether the Gunners should hand Jesus a new deal, Smith replied:
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“It’s an in-between one with him because he can do a job for the team quite often off the bench. I don’t see him as a regular starter.”
“He would be a good man to have in that squad, but then, his injury record isn’t great. So it’s not an easy decision, but if you’re going to get a replacement for him, he’s going to probably cost quite a lot of money. So it might be that they think about keeping him.”
Jesus’s record this season
The 28-year-old has 5 goals and 2 assists in 18 appearances since returning from an ACL injury in December. Those figures are even more impressive when you consider that he has only played 675 minutes.
That means Jesus is averaging a goal contribution every 96.4 minutes over the past three months. It compares very favourably to Vikor Gyokeres, who is averaging a goal or assist every 150.3 minutes since his summer switch from Sporting Lisbon.
Arsenal seem to have identified an expensive replacement
The Gunners are reportedly keeping tabs on Julian Alvarez’s situation at Atletico Madrid. Claims in Spain over recent days have suggested that Mikel Arteta’s side tried and failed with a €120m (£105m) bid for the Argentinian international last summer, and they are still interested in the player now.
If Alvarez were to be signed, he would probably not only replace Jesus in the first-team squad but leapfrog Gyokeres in the pecking order as well.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here