Gabriel Jesus should snub interest from Arsenal and join Chelsea instead this summer.
That’s the advice of Mirror Sport columnist Stan Collymore, the former Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and England striker who reckons he’d be much better served going to play for Thomas Tuchel than Mikel Arteta.
Jesus has emerged as a major target for the Gunners as they look to replace Alex Lacazette and Manchester City are willing to let him go ahead of Erling Haaland ’s arrival.
Collymore said: “I don’t think anyone can say Jesus has filled the boots of Sergio Aguero but his goals-to-games ratio has been very good and, when he has been asked to step up, he has done. There are rumours of Chelsea sniffing around as well and I don’t think Arsenal will be the only club in the race for him this summer.
“But let’s say Arsenal get him, my general worry and concern about Arsenal, as ever, is could we trust Mikel Arteta to get the best out of Jesus, could he be the manager who makes him fulfil his potential, if Pep Guardiola couldn’t? I don’t think so.
“But if he goes to Chelsea he could be the player Romelu Lukaku was promised to be but wasn’t. At Chelsea, they create loads of chances, they will stick the ball in the box and Jesus can be the fox in the box I’ve so often said they need. If Jesus just concentrated on doing some really good work in the box, he could be that man.
“At Arsenal, with the support cast they have, which is still two rookies in Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka — and we don’t know for sure that they will still be wearing Gunners shirts in two years’ time, with Saka being linked with Liverpool and City — if I was Jesus I would be thinking of myself in the blue shirt at Stamford Bridge.
“I’d be thinking that Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and, if he stays, Timo Werner would be putting it on a plate for me and I’d be getting my 25 goals as a regular starter next season. What he’s not going to do is fire Arsenal into the Champions League next season because it’s not just a case of them needing a finisher.
“They need to buy in players who have belief in the project and yet I don’t even see any of their big-name rookies putting out any signs that they have a massive belief Arsenal are going to get to the Champions League this time next year.
“So if you’re Jesus, signed as The Man , which puts a lot of additional pressure on you as well, then why go there when you could go to the Emirates when you could go to Stamford Bridge and be at a place where you’re much more of a natural fit. With that in mind, my advice is, ‘Go to London, Gabriel, but go to the blue side, not the red.”
