Category: Sport

Gabby Agbonlahor has told Arsenal that Gabriel Jesus is currently a “big problem” due to his lack of production, and the forward “needs to step up” amid injuries to other big players.

Jesus is into his third season as a Gunners player and did not perform badly in his first two campaigns. Indeed, the Brazilian has 19 goals and 15 assists in 79 games since moving to the club.

However, none of those have come this season, and Agbonlahor feels that’s a problem for Arsenal, particularly with other big-name players sidelined.

“I think they’ve got a big problem with Gabriel Jesus. His form, he hasn’t scored or assisted in 10 appearances this season,” Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT.

“When he first signed, he got 11 goals and seven assists in his first season in 2022/23. Last season, in 36 games he got eight goals and eight assists, which isn’t bad.

“But this season, zero goals and zero assists. You know, when players are injured and not available, they’re starting [Raheem] Sterling in front of him and started other players in front of him. [In the Champions League] he wasn’t great again, taken off for Sterling before 70 minutes.

“They need Gabriel Jesus up to form, especially with your little injuries to [Martin] Odegaard and to [Bukayo] Saka, he needs to step up.”

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Indeed, Odegaard has been out since early September, missing eight games for the Gunners, and he may not return before the November international break.

Saka has missed two games, and manager Mikel Arteta was unsure if he’d be able to return for Arsenal’s next. With both men out, the club needs contributions from elsewhere, and Jesus, having not failed to surpass 15 goal contributions in either of his first two seasons, needs to get back to that level.

Arsenal lost 2-0 without both the aforementioned stars against Bournemouth, and contributions from other players could have prevented that embarrassing defeat.

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Arsenal are reportedly ‘readying a move’ to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic next summer, as they feel he is a ‘Harry Kane sort of player’ who will ‘guarantee goals’ for the side.

The Gunners were linked with a move for Vlahovic in January 2022, when he left Fiorentina for Juventus. Reports of their interest have remained bubbling since then, and are hotting up now.

Of late, it has been suggested he is their priority striker target, and now it seems they are prepared to pull the trigger.

Football Insider reports that Arsenal are ‘readying a move’ to sign Vlahovic in the summer of 2025. It was reiterated that he is their top target amid ‘concerns’ about their goal record.

The report states the north London outfit feel Vlahovic is a ‘Harry Kane type player’ who will ‘guarantee goals’ for Mikel Arteta’s side.

It follows reports a cut-priced deal could be on the cards, with the Juventus man out of contract at the end of next season, and his contract potentially not being extended, meaning he could be open to a move.

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Kane comparisons will excite the Gunners, as they would surely have liked to have had the former Tottenham man lining up for them, rather than their rivals, after he came through Arsenal’s academy but moved across north London.

Kane bagged 213 Premier League goals – the second most ever – before moving to Bayern Munich.

Vlahovic has reached 100 club goals to this point in his career, and at just 24, he has a lot of time ahead of him to continue banging them in for whichever club he represents.

At the moment, Arsenal are hopeful that is them, with the Serbian taking over from Kai Havertz up top if he moves to the Emirates soon.

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