Bojan Krkic explains why Barcelona signed Gabriel Jesus | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have been trying to sign the Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez throughout this summer, but so far, with only one day left in the market, have not enjoyed a lot of success in this operation. However, when it looked like they would be going into the new season without a new center-forward, reports emerged yesterday claiming they had already finalized the signing of the Arsenal striker, Gabriel Jesus.

This news was quite surprising, not only because of previous reports claiming that the Catalans had no plans of signing another striker if they were unable to sign Alvarez, but also because the Brazilian forward is already past the best moment of his career, and has a worrying injury history.

However, the Barcelona official Bojan Krkic, who himself scouted and prepared reports on the Arsenal player, appeared in an interview with SPORT and explained why the forward has been signed. The former forward revealed that the Catalans, including himself, had been watching Jesus for a long time:

 “I had high hopes for him. The reports were very good. I went to watch him twice when he was at City and there was talk that he could leave, before he moved to Arsenal. And I wasn’t the only one.”

Bojan highlighted some of the strengths that the Brazilian will bring to the Blaugrana team:

His pressing was another aspect that the Barcelona official believed would sit well with Hansi Flick’s plans:

“What’s good about him is that he works very hard. He’s a team player and works extremely hard on the first line of the press. When he has to press, he really commits himself.”

While admitting that he might not score a lot of goals, Bojan highlighted Jesus’ play style:

“He is more of a link-up player than a goalscorer. His goal records have never been those of a prolific goalscorer, but he gives you link-up play in a single centimeter… He drops deep, moves around, unsettles the opposition defense and has the ability to think and execute very quickly. His greatest quality is his combination play.”

“He has a lot of movement, disrupts the defense, offers passing lanes, presses and combines. Gabriel may give you even more in terms of combination play.”

Lastly, the former Spanish player also reassured the fans about the Brazilian’s physical condition:

“He’s recovered and training at full intensity, although he needs regularity in training and matches… The one taking the risk is him, not so much Barcelona.”

Overall, Bojan believed Jesus’ signing could turn out to be a great move for Barcelona:

“It’s a golden opportunity. He has the mentality, he is aggressive when he plays, he has a change of pace and the quality to finish… It could turn out to be a great move for the club.”

With his injury history, recent form, and age, Gabriel Jesus naturally raises some doubts, despite still being a very good player with a lot of experience at the highest level. Thus, it was good to see an individual who is involved in the signing, Bojan Krkic, explain why the club made a bet on him, and hopefully, Barcelona will only benefit from this move going into the new season.