As the Premier League season winds down, the transfer rumor mill has heated right up. With Championship Sunday less than a week away now, it’s time to cast an eye at the player movement market.
There is no shortage of rumors when it comes to the transfer market. Follow this series throughout the summer as I look at the likelihood of some of the transfer rumors doing the rounds and whether I think they will work out.
Gabriel Jesus
At times, the diminutive Brazilian has found it hard at Manchester City. Other times, he has found it a breeze. One thing is for certain, though, he is not the number nine that Pep Guardiola’s side craves. And with the imminent arrival of Erling Haaland, his spot on arguably the best side in world football looks pretty vulnerable.
Enter Mikel Arteta and his young Arsenal side.
The Spaniard has done an admirable job at the Gunners this season and, incredibly, might just qualify for Champions League football. He has managed this despite disciplinary issues with former captain and former first-choice striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. They moved the Gabonese striker on to Barcelona in the winter transfer window.
That left Arteta and the Gunners with just Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah. Lacazette’s deal in North London expires at the end of the season. The Gunners’ hierarchy has publicly said they will decide on a new deal for the Frenchman at the end of the current campaign. Even if he stays in North London, Lacazette is aging and isn’t the prolific goal scorer required to elevate Arsenal to the next level.
Eddie Nketiah is young and full of potential. Arsenal is keen to keep him at the Emirates going forward. However, he is not a player that a Champions league chasing club like Arsenal can build a forward line around. Not just yet, anyway.
Given all of this, a move to North London might benefit both Gabriel Jesus and Arsenal. Jesus gets to play week in, week out in his favored number nine role. Arsenal gets the striker they have sorely missed in the second half of this season. Rumors of a €50 million deal are already doing the rounds. If these rumors are true, Arsenal fans should be excited.
LIKELIHOOD – 75%
If I was Arteta, I’d move heaven and earth to get Jesus to the Emirates next season. If the paper talk is to be believed, the deal is already done & on paper; and it looks like good business for all involved.
Stuart Kavanagh is an up-and-coming sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is also the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.