The one transfer mistake Arsenal and Edu did that could cost them Premier League title
Gabriel Jesus has been a standout player for Arsenal in the current season, making a tremendous impact on the team’s mentality and playing style.
Arsenal has been a highly skilled team throughout the season, displaying excellent football and deserving their position at the top of the league table.
Despite Jesus experiencing a decrease in his own goal-scoring performance, the team continued to score and benefited from his agile movements and clever playmaking around the box, as demonstrated by the success of Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard.
It is only during their recent streak of three consecutive draws that some have begun to question Jesus’ effectiveness.
Despite recent criticisms of Gabriel Jesus, his performance cannot be solely blamed for the team’s struggles, especially considering his return from a prolonged injury and the fact that he is not responsible for defensive duties.
In fact, if William Saliba had been available in recent weeks, any concerns about the team’s performance would likely be non-existent.
Additionally, Jesus is one of several experienced players on the Arsenal squad who have played a significant role in guiding the younger members of the team.
However, following the 3-3 draw with Southampton, both Jesus and other senior players were criticized by Gary Neville.
he ex-Manchester United defender wrote: “For Arsenal the more experienced players needed to step up and be composed.
“In the last 3 games the more ex[perienced] ones haven’t. The younger ones have looked more assured. Zinchenko, Jesus, Partey haven’t been right. They have 5 days to sort themselves out. The huddle last night a bluff!”
One of Gabriel Jesus’ challenges this season has been his inability to convert goal-scoring opportunities, resulting in a 4.1 underperformance of expected goals (xG), which is the largest underperformance of any player this season.
This may explain why Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, moved him out to a wide position.
However, it should be noted that Jesus has contributed significantly to the Arsenal team’s offensive creativity and effectiveness.
Nonetheless, it’s worth mentioning that finishing is not one of his strong suits, as this is the fourth season out of six since he moved to England where he has underperformed by 4xG or more. Despite this, it has not posed much of an issue until now.
Arsenal has demonstrated their ability to develop new attacking options and come up with innovative approaches to penetrate and dismantle opposition teams.
Players like Martinelli, Saka, Odegaard, and Trossard have all contributed to the team’s success. Similar to last year at Manchester City, Jesus was supported by a robust group of fellow attackers.
However, the question remains as to what Arsenal will do in the future with their attacking line-up. Jesus tends to vacate the central attacking space, leaving it unoccupied for extended periods during rotations.
Eddie Nketiah, on the other hand, is a more conventional striker but has yet to score when Jesus is fit.
While Jesus’ backup role has been critical to Arsenal’s sustained success this season, he has underperformed his xG, which stands at 7.4. It’s worth noting that the best finisher on the club’s roster could be out on loan.
Folarin Balogun, who is 21 years old and contracted until 2025, had no clear position in the Arsenal squad over the summer due to competition from Jesus and Nketiah.
He has been looking for a way to demonstrate his value, and he has done so by scoring 18 goals in Ligue 1 this season for a middling Stade de Reims team. If Balogun does not return to north London, he will likely have the pick of destinations across Europe, and Arsenal may come to regret their decision to let him go.
Balogun is a more conventional striker, similar to Nketiah, and is presently in excellent form.
In retrospect, having an extra forward option available, particularly one as clinical as Balogun, could have made a significant difference in this late-season push.
The one transfer mistake Arsenal and Edu did that could cost them Premier League title