Mikel Arteta seems to have finally landed his ideal striker this summer. According to reports, Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City, with a fee and personal terms agreed.
It comes after the loss of duo Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, leaving just Eddie Nketiah as the only natural centre-forward option. Add to that the lack of a consistent goal scoring threat up front, and the need for a striker seems apparent.
Discussing the priority for the summer window, Arteta said of what he wanted from any incoming striker: “He puts the ball in the net – that’s priority number one. Goal threat. Any successful team needs enough goal threat in the squad. Without it, you have nothing.”
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The Gunners may not have been in this position had they signed someone back in January. They were heavily linked with a move for Dusan Vlahovic, but he eventually made the switch to Juventus over Arsenal.
After the snub, Arteta appeared to take a swipe at the Serbia international, stating: “We only want the best people and the best players at this club and when we are in a rush or different pressures, and the reasons are not the right ones to get a player on board, we decided not to do it."
While it seemed as though it was a dig at Vlahovic, Jesus’ impending move suggests that he was correct. The Brazilian reportedly had offers from other clubs, those who are playing in the Champions League, but turned them down for the Gunners.
It shows that a top player is still willing to join the club and for the right reasons, too. It could be a move that goes a long way towards the side competing at the top once again.
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