Not for sale: Arteta says Jesus can still be Arsenal’s starting striker | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta says he wouldn’t consider selling Gabriel Jesus in January, adding that the player still has the opportunity to reclaim Arsenal’s first-choice striker spot.

Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Prior to Gabriel Jesus’ return from an ACL injury, there was some speculation that he could be on the move in the January transfer window, albeit with Jesus repeatedly refuting those suggestions.

Now that Jesus is back in action, making a substitute appearance against Club Brugge in midweek, Mikel Arteta was again asked on Friday whether a January move is on the cards.

“I don’t consider that, especially with the situation we have right now,” Arteta responded. “I think Gabby has a lot to offer to the team – and he has proven that straight away, in the first minutes that he was available to play.”

There certainly aren’t any Arsenal fans keen to see Jesus departing right now, given how lively he looked in his limited minutes against Brugge on Wednesday. In fact, there have been some calls for Arteta to reinstate the Brazilian as Arsenal’s starting striker.

When asked whether Jesus could potentially return to Arsenal’s first-choice lineup, Arteta admitted it was a possibility.

“Yes, I mean a player of his quality, a player that has given us so much and he comes with the energy that he came the other day,” Arteta said. “He’s certainly a player that has to be pushing and aiming for that, that’s for sure.”

Jesus himself told the media on Wednesday that he’s “more than ready” to make an impact over the festive period, and it’s important that he does.

With Kai Havertz still out and Viktor Gyokeres lacking momentum after his own injury, Arsenal are desperate for someone to start putting the ball in the net from centre-forward.