Arsenal have transformed as a team over the last few years, from one stuck in midtable mediocrity to one seriously challenging for major honours.
Mikel Arteta's presence has been an enormous factor in this transformation, but so have Edu Gaspar's transfer dealings.
The Brazilian has seen the likes of Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Jesus join the team, while those deemed surplus to requirements have been efficiently axed.
However, while the former Invincible has an impressive track record in this regard, his predecessors didn't, and one of the players who left before he arrived has outscored Jesus this season.
Gabriel Jesus' performance this season
It's been just over a year and a half since Jesus completed his £45m move from Manchester City, and while he has been electric at points, it's hard to call the transfer a runaway hit.
The main reason for this is the 26-year-old's terrible injury record at the Emirates. Last season, he missed 17 games due to a knee injury he sustained at the World Cup, and this year, he's already missed 16 games across four spells on the sidelines, three of which have been related to his knee.
2016/17
1
67
15
2017/18
2
74
13
2018/19
3
23
6
2019/20
2
32
5
2020/21
3
57
14
2022/23
1
99
17
2023/24
4
85
16
That said, he's looked tremendous when he's been on the pitch. For example, last year, the "exquisite" forward, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in just 33 appearances, meaning that, when fit, he was averaging a goal involvement every 1.7 games.
Despite enduring a much more stop-start campaign this year, the São Paulo-born ace has still scored eight goals and provided five assists in 26 appearances. This means he's averaging a goal involvement every two games, an average that could well improve with his imminent reintroduction into the starting lineup.
In all, while he's not as prolific as fans might have hoped and has an injury record that likely gives Arteta sleepless nights, Jesus has been an asset to the Gunners in the year and a half he's been a part of the club.
However, he is being outscored by a former Gunner who's not even playing in England.
Chuba Akpom's performance this season
Yes, the former Arsenal striker who's put away more chances than Jesus this season is Hale End graduate and former England U21 international Chuba Akpom.
The Newham-born ace joined the north Londoners in 2002 as a six-year-old and made his first team debut in September 2013, replacing Olivier Giroud in the final minute of a Premier League clash with Sunderland.
The next six years would see the 6-foot striker go out on six different loans, but none of them went particularly well, and with it clear that he wasn't going to make it at the top level, he was sold to Greek outfit PAOK Salonika for around £2m in August 2018.
In Greece, the right-footed Englishman found stability and relative success, netting 18 goals and providing ten assists in 79 appearances and winning the league and cup in 2019.
Appearances
131
82
29
Goals
29
34
11
Assists
13
4
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.32
0.46
0.44
This success caught the eye of Middlesbrough in the Championship, who spent around £3m to bring him back to England, although a return of just five goals and two assists in 39 games across the 2020/21 campaign saw him sent back to PAOK for the subsequent season.
Upon his return to the Riverside in 2022/23, the "terrific" striker, as Boro manager Michael Carrick dubbed him, exploded, scoring 29 and providing two assists in 42 games, earning him a £12m move to Dutch giants Ajax.
Now, while places in the starting lineup have been hard to come by for the 28-year-old in Amsterdam, he has still managed to score 11 goals and provide one assist in 29 games, which is a pretty impressive record considering he has only started seven matches.
Jesus is now being outscored by Arsenal star who was sold for just £18m
The international star has been scoring for fun.
ByJack Salveson HolmesMar 17, 2024
Ultimately, Arsenal were probably right to move on from Akpom when they did. Still, his form in the Championship last season and his record for Ajax this year suggests he could've been useful as an option off the bench, especially as he's outscored Jesus.
