Arsenal announce Gabriel Jesus signing

Another non-kept Arsenal secret has been revealed: the Gunners have signed Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City. The Brazilian striker will cost the club £45M, and he has signed a new, five-year deal in North London. He will wear Alexandre Lacazette’s recently vacated #9 shirt, as a proper striker should.

Gabriel Jesus was Mikel Arteta’s primary target this summer, according to most of the regular Arsenal reporters. Arteta is familiar with the striker from his time as an assistant coach at Manchester City. When asked about this transfer window and what the “next steps” are for his team, Arteta has consistently said that Arsenal need to score more goals.

Gabriel Jesus should provide that. When he was the main man at City a few years ago, he scored goals in the teens twice in the Premier League and tacked on a handful more in the Champions League. His production has trailed off the past two seasons while playing a wider role and fewer minutes. Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are taking a calculated risk that he will get back to his production from a few years ago in a leading role in North London.

Gabriel Jesus is a great signing for the Gunners. He is Premier League experienced, tested, and proven. He’s an immediate upgrade over what the Gunners got up top last season from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, and Eddie Nketiah. He should provide a good portion of the additional goals the club needs and open up space for the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Ødegaard and the rest of the Arsenal attackers by drawing more attention through the middle (and, you know, actually getting into the box).