Has Gabriel Jesus Turned Arsenal Into Premier League Title Contenders?

Gabriel Jesus has made a profound impact at Arsenal. Since signing from Manchester City this summer, the Brazilian forward has contributed an impressive four goals and three assists in seven PremierPINC
League appearances this season, but this doesn’t fully illustrate the difference he has made to Mikel Arteta’s team.

Arteta clearly knew what Jesus would bring to the Emirates Stadium. He had worked with the attacker during his time as City assistant manager and while Jesus was successful for the Premier League champions, Pep Guardiola never utilised him to his full potential. Now, though, Jesus is showcasing all sides to his game.

“We now have a new confidence, a spark, and that winning mentality that he has,” Arteta said when asked to assess Jesus’ impact at Arsenal. “He competes for every ball and transmits his energy and his quality to the rest of the team. He knows how hard it is to win in football, how much you have to put into it. He is still young, but he is experienced and I think he is a really good role model for the rest of the boys.”

Others in the Arsenal team are benefiting from the signing of Jesus. Martin Odegaard, for example, is flourishing, adding goals to his game. This is because the movement of Jesus frequently opens up more space ahead of the Norwegian midfielder to exploit – this is how he has scored three goals in six league games this season.

Gabriel Martinelli also looks to have taken another step forward in his development. The 21-year-old has forged an understanding with Jesus, his fellow Brazil teammate, with the pair dovetailing well. Jesus likes to drift out to the left side and this creates space for others, like Martinelli, to explore through the middle.

The combination of Jesus and Martinelli on the left often provides Bukayo Saka with more space to isolate opposition defenders one-on-one on the right. The England international gives Arsenal verticality and makes sure the attacking sequences of Arteta’s team never get too predictable. There is good balance to the Gunners’ front three right now.

Arsenal’s midfield also looks to be in good shape with Granit Xhaka starting the season well. The addition of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira has strengthened the Gunners’ squad in key areas with French defender William Saliba returning to his parent club to finally become a first team figure.

All this has led to suggestions that Arsenal might challenge for the Premier League table this season. They are currently sitting top of the table after seven matches and can further underline their improvement with a win over second-place Tottenham Hotspur in this weekend’s North London derby.

City might still be the favourites to win a fourth Premier League title in five years, but Arsenal are undeniably on an upward trajectory under Arteta and the signing of Jesus this summer has accelerated their growth. The Brazilian is the sort of frontman the Gunners needed, even if City were happy enough to let him leave.