Gabriel Jesus forces Mikel Arteta to rethink Arsenal decision as £45m stance speaks volumes

Mikel Arteta could be forced to go back to basics and bench Viktor Gyokeres, who has failed to impress for Arsenal this season

Gabriel Jesus has staked a claim to lead the Arsenal frontline, despite having only recently returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The 28-year-old striker has caught the eye in each of his cameo appearances so far, showing Mikel Arteta why he could be a better option than Viktor Gyokeres.

He made his long-awaited comeback on Wednesday night, coming off the bench during the Gunners' dominant win over Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League. Jesus suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the start of the year, yet he looked as sharp as ever.

The Brazil international enjoyed more touches than Gyokeres, who had played twice as long. While the Belgian outfit was, at that point, chasing the game, Jesus proved to be far more effective at dropping deep and linking the play.

He picked up exactly from where he left off, smashing the crossbar, slaloming around defenders and knitting neat passages of play. Arteta, understandably keen to carefully manage Jesus' workload, only handed him 10 minutes on Saturday night, yet he still left his mark.

In the dying embers of stoppage time, the Brazilian forced a mistake from Yerson Mosquera. The Wolves defender accidentally headed the ball past his goalkeeper in a desperate effort to deny Jesus from latching onto Bukayo Saka's cross.

Gyokeres had a miserable evening at the Emirates Stadium, so when Jesus breathed new life into Arsenal, the gulf in class stood out like a sore thumb. Having made such an impact in such little time, it came as no surprise when Arteta ruled out the Brazilian's departure in the January transfer window.

On Friday at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, the Gunners boss showered Jesus with praise. He said: "We know his quality, a player who has given us so much, and he comes with the energy that came the other day.

"He’s certainly a player who has to be pushing and aiming for that, that’s for sure."

Jesus, whom Arsenal signed from Manchester City for £45m during the summer of 2022, only has 18 months or so left on his contract. On if he would consider selling the striker next month, Arteta said: "I don't consider that, especially with the situation that we have right now.

"I think Gabriel has a lot to offer to the team, and he's proven that straightaway in the first minute that he was available to play, he's put so much to be in this position again, and now the focus is to be with us."

Speaking to club media in January 2025, shortly before his knee injury, Jesus outlined his ambition to win the Premier League with Arsenal. He was an English champion on four separate occasions at the Etihad Stadium.

"You can see the motivation because the feeling to win a trophy like the Premier League, everyone knows how tough it is," Jesus said. "When you’ve already won it, you just think I want it again, again and again.

"Arsenal did amazing in the past and we want to come back, so we as players, we want to go there and pay back what they have done and to fight for the fans as well."