To first caveat this story with the reassurance that Gabriel Jesus is a fantastic forward is a necessity. However, he’s not flawless and the ruthlessness that comes alongside the trials and demands of a side looking to become Premier League winners in both the short and long-term future.
Jesus has enabled Arsenal to reach a new level, not only in helping them achieve the target of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, but also go one step further and enter the Premier League title race deep into the season for the first time in more than a decade.
And yet, there is a strong argument that if Arsenal are going to be able to establish themselves in this region of the table and look to try and beat Manchester City now and in the future that the Brazilian is not enough. The obvious point to make is City replaced Jesus in favour of Erling Haaland and his 33 Premier League goals are the reason why they’ve clawed back control of the title race.
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Behind the Norwegian is World Cup winner and exciting Argentinian forward Julian Alvarez who has deputised for Haaland against sides like Liverpool and scored, barely seeing any drop in the overall City output. With Jesus out earlier in the season, both Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard helped to navigate an extended period without the starting number nine and did a good job.
However, although Trossard’s quality is clear and Nketiah’s record is decent, neither presents as the world-class striker option that could earn the Gunners getting close to that of Haaland. Jesus again, like at City, can operate as a supportive figure for Arsenal were they to sign that critical game-changing forward.
But who could that be? Yesterday I discussed how Victor Osimhen could be the player on the market in the summer that fulfils the profile of a striker to take on the mantle for Arsenal.
However, with further thinking time, there is another alternative. Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos has continued to score a bucket-load of goals with 17 in 25 Liga Portugal appearances this season with a complete tally of 25 goals in 42 games across all competitions.
At 21, Ramos remains a player with plenty of potential still to be realised and at 6’1 presents as completely different profile of forward to Jesus. He also has 11 assists this season which demonstrates his ability to link play, a characteristic that Mikel Arteta demands in his centre-forward.
Former England and two-time Benfica head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson believes Arsenal will be keen on the Portuguese forward. He told OLBG: "I'm sure that clubs like Arsenal or Manchester United will look out for him."
Having a pairing of Ramos and Jesus is an exciting prospect for Arsenal and combine this with further upgrades in midfield and the defensive line and suddenly the idea of having a far greater competitive squad to go toe-to-toe with City appears far more realistic. That said, Benfica were smart to ensure a €120m (£105m) release clause was inserted into Ramos’ contract which would make any deal very expensive.
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