Mikel Arteta will BLOCK £30m Arsenal exit in January for ‘very unpredictable’ star

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TEAMtalk

·8 November 2025

Mikel Arteta will BLOCK £30m Arsenal exit in January for ‘very unpredictable’ star

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has publicly said that he does not want Gabriel Jesus to leave, despite the Gunners being willing to cash in on the Brazil international at the right price.

Jesus is back in training with Arsenal, with the striker having not featured for the north London club since suffering a cruciate ligament injury in the FA Cup clash against Manchester United in January 2025.

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While the Brazil international striker was recovering, Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP in the summer of 2025.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is also able to call upon Kai Havertz to play up front when the German is fit and available.

Mikel Merino has also been deployed as a centre-forward on five occasions for Arsenal this season, despite the Spaniard being a midfielder by trade.

Jesus will find it tough to get into the Arsenal starting line-up when he is fully fit, with Football Transfers reporting on September 20 that the 28-year-old is ‘seriously considering’ leaving the Gunners in the January transfer window.

On October 3, TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Dean Jones, reported that Arsenal have set a price-tag on Gabriel Jesus.

Jones told TEAMtalk at the time when asked about Everton’s stance on a new striker in January: “There is going to be an openness to sign another forward if they still lack cutting edge, and that will form more clearly between now and January.

“They will wait to see the market opportunities that exist and aim to sign a player who can fit in.

“Let’s use Gabriel Jesus as an example. He will likely be available and definitely has the elite quality that could fit the bill.

“But what is the financial commitment needed? There is talk of a £30m (€34.4m, $40.4m) transfer valuation, but you also have to consider his personal package. The level of wages does matter.”

Arteta has been speaking about Jesus ahead of the Premier League game between Sunderland and Arsenal at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

The Arsenal boss has made it clear that he wants the 28-year-old to be part of the team for the rest of the season.

When asked if he sees Jesus staying at Arsenal for the long term, Arteta told official website: “Yes, because we haven’t had [our forwards] and now we don’t have Viktor and we haven’t had Kai again for three months or many other forwards.

“Unfortunately, that’s becoming something that consistently happens, so we need those options and what an option to have with Gabi.”

What Mikel Arteta truly thinks of Gabriel Jesus

Arteta is over the moon to have Jesus back in training and has outlined the attributes that the striker has that make him an outstanding player.

The Arsenal boss said about Jesus being back in training: “It’s about making the steps day by day in a different surrounding.

“He’s been doing everything on his own; now he’s got very competitive players around him, and let’s see how he copes with that.

“But he’s full of energy, I love the reaction of all his teammates when he first joined us, and it’s great to have him back.

Arteta added: “A player who is very unpredictable, full of energy, and super competitive.

“A player who comes from a context of difficulty in the last few seasons, due to various nasty injuries, so the level of hunger and desire that he is going to bring to the team is going to be amazing.

“So, I’m thrilled to have him. I think he’s going to add something extra to the team that we don’t have, and make sure that very soon we see him on that pitch making an impact for the team.”