Arsenal could sign £40m star with “elite potential” to upgrade on Jesus

The 22-year-old could be the finisher Arsenal need this season.

Arsenal steadied the ship the best way they could upon their return to Premier League action this month, putting five past Crystal Palace while keeping a clean sheet at the same time.

Usually, scoring five times in a game would put to rest any talk of a misfiring attack, and while it might’ve had that effect for Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus left the pitch without a goal to his name, and so the conversation around him has not ceased.

Worse yet for the Brazilian, he could be at risk of losing his place in the team if Mikel Arteta and Edu can get their hands on the latest player touted for a move to N5 this year.

Arsenal look to the Continent for a new source of goals

According to a report from the Italian publication Corriere Di Bologna (via TEAMtalk), Arsenal are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Bologna’s terrifically exciting young forward, Joshua Zirkzee.

Some of the other interested parties include the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Newcastle United, but according to this report, it is the Gunners and Manchester United who are ‘above all’ when it comes to the Dutch number nine.

The competition from the Red Devils is already trouble enough for the north Londoners, but they might also have to contend with German behemoths Bayern Munich, as the Bundesliga champions have an exclusive buyback clause with the Serie A side worth around €40m – £34m.

While the Gunners will have to pay more than their German competitors, it might not be much more, as Italian publication Corriere dello Sport has reported that they are prepared to bid around £40m for the 22-year-old.

How Joshua Zirkzee compares to Gabriel Jesus

Now, the first thing to highlight is that Jesus is an incredibly talented player and that while he isn’t the most clinical of strikers – far from it – he does add to Arsenal’s attacks in other ways, and that, regardless of potential incomings, he will almost always have a place somewhere in the squad.

However, with the pressure on Arsenal to finally end their two-decade-long title drought only getting more intense with every passing year – or month now – the team needs someone who can put away the countless chances that their dynamic wide men and Martin Odegaard produce.

This is where it might make sense for Arteta to side with a player like Zirkzee over the Brazilian, as despite still being relatively young, inexperienced and raw, he is already a far more clinical finisher than the former Manchester City man.

On a surface level, this is clear through their league output this season, as in 20 appearances, the “insane” Dutchman, as described by data analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored eight goals and provided two assists. In contrast, Jesus has scored only three goals and provided two assists in 16 appearances.

However, in the pairs’ underlying numbers, specifically those related to their goalscoring, the difference in lethality between them becomes most apparent.

For example, Jesus produces a significantly higher expected goal and assists number than his competition, takes more shots on target and takes them closer to the goal, yet he has a far lower actual goal per 90 figure, as well as a poorer goal to shots ration both on target and in general.