Arsenal They made sure their draw with Fulham on Sunday afternoon was not a bad start to a run with a comfortable win over Monaco in the Champions League. UEFA Champions League Last night.
Mikel Arteta The team was not at its best, but a great performance by Bukayo Saka and some professional performances from most of the team members saw them secure the three points and secure qualification to the next round.
However, while most of the Gunners can congratulate themselves on a job well done, few feel satisfied with the deception.
In fact, one of the players was so poor that for some time he might have turned to another position such as Mesut Ozil for the manager.
Mesut Ozil's career with Arsenal
When it comes to memorable Arsenal transfers over the years, there are few, if any, more notable than Ozil's move to the Emirates on the 2013 deadline.
The German international joined the club from Spanish giants Real Madrid The club recorded a turnover of £42.4 million And immediately hit the ground, Provide assistance to Olivier Giroud in his first match away to Sunderland.
Over the next few seasons, the “wow” feeling, As Ian Wright called itproved himself worth every penny as he dazzled fans and opponents alike with his mercurial ability to find anyone, anywhere on the pitch with one brilliant pass.
The former Schalke gem has achieved an impressive tally 44 goals and 75 assists He made 254 appearances for the club and played an important role in three of the four FA Cup titles while in north London, but things did not end well.
After the mammoth occurred £350,000-a-week contract in early 2018His performances began to decline, and by the time Arteta was appointed coach in December 2019, it was clear that his lack of strength and effort off the ball meant he had no future in the N5.
However, due to his rapid decline and high wages, transferring him was a nightmare, and the club were eventually forced to do so. Cancel his contract Fully so he can move to Turkish giant Fenerbahce.
Overall, while Ozil was a world-class talent during most of his Arsenal career, his form fell into a tailspin in later years, and he became an incredibly expensive liability, which is what can happen to a player in the team today.
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The Arsenal player who could be Arteta's new Ozil
So, to get straight to the point, the player in question is incredibly talented Gabriel JesusThere are two main reasons for this.
The first is that the former Manchester City star, like Ozil, has achieved great success After a transfer worth 45 million pounds sterling In the 22/23 season, achieving an impressive score of Five goals and five assists In 16 league matches before the World Cup break, that equates to an average goal share every 1.6 matches.
However, the Brazilian international suffered a serious knee injury in Qatar Had to undergo surgerywhich kept him out of action until mid-March, after which he looked noticeably less intelligent and less threatening overall.
Last season wasn't terrible for the Sao Paulo-born striker, however Eight goals and eight assists In 36 appearances it was not enough to prevent Kai Havertz from taking his place as a regular in the team, and based on his performances this season, it does not look like he will ever regain it.
In 19 matches, the “frustrated” striker e.g He named her Micah RichardsAnd it was recorded One goal and two assists.
Jesus' career at Arsenal |
|||
---|---|---|---|
season |
22/23 |
23/24 |
24/25 |
Appearances |
33 |
36 |
19 |
minutes |
2347' |
1910' |
684' |
Objectives |
11 |
8 |
1 |
Helps |
7 |
8 |
2 |
Goal shares in every match |
0.54 |
0.44 |
0.15 |
Number of minutes per goal participation |
130.38' |
119.37' |
228' |
Moreover, last night makes it very clear why he has become such a problem for the manager.
While he provided an assist in Saka's opener, the 27-year-old was also incredibly prolific in front of goal, Missing two great opportunities He only took 23 touches, which more than justifies that The match rating of 5/10 he received From journalist Kaya Kaynak.
So, like the German star, Jesus has gone from being a regular member of the first team to someone unable to contribute meaningfully at all, and on top of that, he's also costing the club a fortune, thanks. Up to 265 thousand pounds sterling per week The contract he agreed to is in 2022.
Finally, it also looks like moving the former City star in 2025 would be a serious challenge, as his wages, injury history and appalling form do not make him a desirable offer for the type of clubs he would be happy to join. joins.
Ultimately, Jesus is an undeniably talented footballer, but like Ozil before him, he has reached the end of the road at Arsenal, and at this point, it seems the best option for all parties is to move on – if that is the case. maybe.