Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva believes that Gabriel Jesus can still out Kai Havertz from Mikel Arteta’s starting line-up, when he finally gets himself fully fit.
After a tough opening campaign with the Gunners after his big-money move from Chelsea, Havertz has emerged as one of the first names on Arteta’s team sheet playing as a central striker for the north London club.
Indeed, the Germany international scored in Arsenal’s Premier League win over Southampton before the international break to mark the seventh consecutive home game in which he has scored.
And if he manages to find the target again against next week’s Champions League clash visitors Shakhtar Donetsk, Havertz will tie Thierry Henry’s record of scoring in eight consecutive home outings.
In stark contrast, Jesus has suffered another injury-hit start to the campaign and has only featured three times in Arteta’s starting XI so far in what is his third season with the club after joining from Manchester City.
“Jesus has suffered a lot with injuries and that really gets in the way,” he told bettingexpert.com. “You break your rhythm and you always have to start over. It’s a huge challenge for any player. But injuries have had a big impact on Jesus’ loss of space, as he was out of action for a long time.
“It also opened up space for Havertz, who played in positions where Jesus would have played. He ended up doing well there. However, as a nine, Jesus has the potential to do more if he’s healthy. But Havertz came in so well that many people didn’t even think about his absences.”
Injury issues open door for Jesus
Jesus, who has been tipped to return to a club in his homeland, may well be called upon when Arsenal return to action after the international break when they face a trip to Bournemouth in the Premier League this coming Saturday.
The club have suffered an injury-affected fortnight with Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli all picking up knocks while away on international duty.
Given those injury issues, Jesus could well feature in seven games for the Gunners before the next international break and how he performs in those could go a long way to deciding his future at The Emirates.
Indeed, it’s reported that Arteta is already weighing up the Brazilian’s potential replacement in the shape of long-term Arsenal target Viktor Gyokeres.
The Sporting frontman currently has an £84million release clause in his contract and the Gunners are in a strong position financially to pull off that type of deal – one that would almost certainly signal the end of Jesus’ career with the club.
Latest Arsenal transfer news: Klopp key to striker move / Sevilla pushing for bargain deal
New Red Bull global head of soccer Jurgen Klopp is being tipped to play an important role in Arsenal potentially landing a top striker target in 2025.
One of the top names they were chasing over the summer was RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, who they are known to have made a major play to add to Mikel Arteta’s squad.
And, according to a new report from TBR Football, Klopp is now set to play a key role in shaping Sesko’s future.
Meanwhile, Sevilla are reportedly looking to lower the option-to-buy fee they have in place with Arsenal for loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga.
Reports suggested that, unlike Lokonga’s loans at Luton Town and Crystal Palace, this deal includes a purchase option – specifically in the region of €12million (£10m, $13.1m).
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