Spurs target Gabriel Jesus looks set to leave Manchester City this summer, with the Brazilian expected to remain in the Premier League.
Jesu is reportedly looking for a move away from Manchester this summer in search of a starting role following the arrival of Erling Haaland at Man City. Arsenal were the first club to show real interest in the Brazilian, but Spurs have reportedly joined the race after they guaranteed themselves a spot in the UEFA Champions League for the upcoming season.
Now, Jesus is also wanted by Chelsea and Real Madrid, but according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, the expectation is that the striker will remain in the Premier League. With Champions League football secured, Antonio Conte's next job is to add quality and depth to his squad.
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So, if Jesus was to make a move to Spurs ahead of the 2022/23 season, what sort of impact could he have on Conte's side? To find out, we simulated the 2022/23 season with Jesus in the Spurs squad and this is what happened.
We 'signed' Gabriel Jesus for Spurs ahead of the 2022/23 season
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Jesus to join Spurs ahead of the start of the 2022/23 season, using FM22 to run the simulation. As well as signing Jesus, Spurs used the transfer market to strengthen their core, bringing in John McGinn from Aston Villa, and Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace.
The Brazilian became a regular in Antonio Conte's side, earning most of his playtime down the right whilst occasionally covering for Harry Kane in the middle. Jesus became a favourite over Dejan Kulusevski, making 46 appearances throughout the season.
In those 46 appearances, Jesus scored 13 times in all competitions, also registering three assists. His scoring record saw the majority of his goals come in the cup competitions, only netting five times in the Premier League.
When compared to the rest of the Spurs squad, Jesus ended the season as Spurs' third highest scorer, with only Kane (21) and Heung-Min Son (16) grabbing more. The Brazilian won the Player of the Match award four times as well, with only Kane (6) and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (5) winning it more.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Spurs XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what the Spurs' best XI looked like at the end of the 2022/23 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full Spurs best XI (3-4-3): Lloris; Romero, Dier, Guehi; Doherty, McGinn, Hojbjerg, Reguilon; Jesus, Kane, Son.
All three summer signings made the best XI, with Rodrigo Bentancur, Kulusevski and Ben Davies all missing out on spots in the best XI. Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon were the best wing-backs in the simulation, with Emerson Royal and Ryan Sessegnon predominantly used from the bench.
So, how did Spurs perform in the league and cup competitions after signing Jesus ahead of the 2022/23 season? Lets take a look.
Spurs' results from the 2022/23 simulation
Spurs were able to build on their strong end to the 21/22 season and push even further up the table, finishing second in the Premier League and taking the title race to the final day. Conte's side tallied 87 points over the course of the season, just two points less than Man City.
The Lilywhites ended the campaign as the second-highest scorers in the league and with the third-best defence, also finishing 11 points higher than Liverpool in third. So, how did Spurs do in the cup competitions?
One trophy was won in the simulated season with Jesus, a major accomplishment for Spurs. Conte's side faced Southampton in the FA Cup final, and a Harry Kane brace, either side of Bentancur's first-half goal, saw the Lilywhites win 3-1 at Wembley.
Southampton did get one over Spurs in the Carabao Cup, winning 2-1 in the fourth round of that competition. Spurs also had a strong run in their return to the Champions League, making it to the semi-finals where they were beaten 3-2 on aggregate by eventual winners, Liverpool.
Overall, if Gabriel Jesus were to sign for Spurs ahead of the 2022/23 season, the winger could add better depth and quality to the Spurs front line, helping their performances across all competitions. Jesus became a regular, but he didn't have an incredible goal return, with the majority of his goals coming in the cups.
Would you like to see Gabriel Jesus sign for Spurs next season? Let us know in the comments!
