Alan Smith believes Arsenal have landed a “coup” following the £45m signing of Gabriel Jesus.
The Brazilian’s arrival was confirmed on Monday as Mikel Arteta officially welcomed his leading attacking target to the club, with the former Manchester City striker penning a five-year contract in north London.
Handed the no.9 shirt, the signing of a four-time Premier League winner is a major statement as Arteta continues his rebuild. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang forced out earlier this year, Jesus will battle Eddie Nketiah for a starting berth through the middle of Arsenal’s youthful attack.
Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli are further options, while 19-year-old winger Marquinhos and 22-year-old attacking midfielder Fabio Vieira have also been signed this summer.
Speaking to Sky Sports, former Arsenal striker Smith praised Arteta and technical director Edu for the deal, believing it shows a development from the transfer policy to have led to so many poor signings in recent years.
It’s definitely a coup for Arsenal. He’s committed his best years to Arsenal.
“The good thing about Arsenal’s recruitment now is that they are signing players without too much media fanfare. For example, we did hear about Jesus but when we did hear they were already quite far down the line in terms of securing his signature.
“Then there was Fabio Vieira from Porto. Nobody saw that one coming either and the best recruitment teams at clubs are able to do that. They do a lot of work behind the scenes, maybe even six months to a year in the build-up to signing a player, but they do it without too much fanfare or drama.
“That points to a department of the club that is really functioning well and it’s really encouraging that they have got that side of things working well because it was a bit of a mess a few years back. Now Edu and Arteta are on the same page, they agree what is needed and that relationship is vital.”
