Arsenal are in the market for a new striker in the summer transfer window, even though Kai Havertz has been absolutely on fire over the past several weeks while playing up top.
The Gunners want more options and more goal-scoring depth. They want a real presence and an out-and-out No. 9 at the striker position, because while Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are talented players, they aren’t true 9’s.
Arsenal have been linked to the likes of Ivan Toney, Viktor Gyokeres, and Victor Osimhen as potential striker transfer targets. None of those three options will come cheap, so the feeling has been that Arsenal will have to sacrifice their most sellable asset at striker, Gabriel Jesus.
However, according to Fabrizio Romano, via afcstuff on X, Arsenal have not made a final decision on Gabriel Jesus yet. In fact, they could choose to keep him and may be more likely to sell backup striker Eddie Nketiah instead, as there are other Premier League clubs interested.
Nketiah has been a bit of a disappointment in the 2023/24 season, and although Mikel Arteta and some fans were optimistic he could be a part of the solution at striker, he hasn’t met the quality standards.
He is just as inconsistent of a goal-scorer as Gabriel Jesus and is far less active at creating chances. Nketiah is clearly behind Havertz and Jesus in the pecking order, nor is he the pure goal-scoring, physical 9 that, say, Victor Osimhen would be up top.
Gabriel Jesus can play on the wings or up top. He’s a great team player, a huge talent, and one of the most well-rounded strikers in the game. As he has shown in the Champions League, he can come up clutch, too.
Therefore, it makes sense for Arsenal to keep Jesus for versatile depth, sell Nketiah, and spend on an out-and-out goal-scoring striker.
They have the money to make it happen without selling the Brazilian forward, and they certainly have the need for extra help, given their Champions League ambitions and the need to finally definitively clear Manchester City (and Liverpool) at the top of the Premier League table.
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