Gabriel Jesus is eager to continue with Arsenal and wishes to sign a new deal after commenting on his time here and the future.
Gabriel Jesus was the kind of signing that helped Arsenal elevate to a new level. The Brazilian international arrived in a £45 million deal from Manchester City. At the time, Mikel Arteta was in the early stages of his squad-building, and the versatile attacker played a huge role in improving the quality of the team.
In his first season, although he was injured for almost half of it, his presence allowed Arsenal a platform to challenge for the title. Without the necessary depth, a challenge fell away in the last months of the season, but Jesus did play a huge role.
However, the injury problems have persisted season on season, and at the moment, Jesus has only returned from nearly a year out with an ACL rupture. Between the time he arrived and now, Arsenal have signed Kai Havertz and then, in the summer, Viktor Gyokeres, with the duo likely seen as front-runners for the No.9 spot ahead of the Brazilian.
While Gabriel Jesus was recovering from his injury, there have been plenty of rumours linking Jesus with a move away, especially with clubs from Brazil. However, the idea of capturing the attacker won’t be straightforward given his high wages as well as what Arsenal might demand.
The wages were a stumbling block for AC Milan after they expressed an interest, while Arsenal also anticipated approaches for him in January. However, Mikel Arteta made it clear a few weeks ago that Jesus will stay at the club this month, meaning any decision will come around next summer when he will have a year left on his current deal.
Jesus has other plans, as his comments that appeared on Sky Sports suggested he was angling for a longer stay. It appears the versatile Arsenal attacker wants to sign a new deal with the Gunners as he commented on his injury history and how he views the future.
Jesus said, “My first target is to be healthy. This is my fourth season at Arsenal, and unfortunately, I have played maybe one and a half or two seasons; the rest have had injuries. That happens, it has never happened with me before but I don’t ask myself why. I just try to be fit.
“My wish is to stay at Arsenal, and then I have a contract. If you ask me, I wanted to extend my contract, extend my stay and win trophies with Arsenal. I came here with a purpose, but obviously, the reality can be different.”
While Jesus seemingly wants a contract extension, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal agree a new deal with the attacker. Arteta has always reiterated that players being available is the biggest weapon to have, and in the versatile Arsenal attacker’s case, he has barely been fit.
As Jesus said, he has had one and a half or two seasons at best in full force during his four-year stay so far, which does cast doubts on whether Arsenal will renew his deal. However, should he showcase some top-notch performances between now and the summer, it is not to say the club could change their mind over his future, as performances and fitness might warrant a new deal for him at the Emirates.