Why Eddie Nketiah can carry the load amid Gabriel Jesus’ absence

The quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup have come to a close and Gooners can rest easy with all but William Saliba being eliminated.

For the most part, Arsenal players have managed to avoid injury as well, all but one, unfortunately. Arsenal’s £45m summer signing, Gabriel Jesus, underwent knee surgery after Brazil’s final group stage match against Cameroon. This is obviously devastating news for the Gunners, with the former Manchester City talisman proving to be an integral part of Arsenal’s league-leading team.

So with Jesus out for three months, where do Arsenal go from here? January is fast approaching, and many fans would love for Arsenal to make a splash in the market. Unfortunately, like last January, buyers won’t be in a great position, and I see it being hard for any major signings to replace Jesus during his injury. Arsenal could still very much make an attacking signing; time will tell. Until then, the burden rests with Eddie Nketiah.

Why Eddie Nketiah can carry the load amid Gabriel Jesus’ absence

It’s been a mixed-result season so far from Eddie; as one of his biggest supporters, I was hyped to watch him grow even more as a player in 2022/23, but I have been a bit disappointed with him so far. His biggest opportunities have come in the Europa League, and he did not set the group stage on fire like I thought he would despite a productive start.

There have still been some bright spots, however. For example, his energy has been valuable in killing off matches late, being able to press high when closing a match out, and retaining possession of the ball. He has shown to be a very effective player on and off the ball, and Arsenal will need that from him if they’re to stay in the title race with Manchester City while Jesus is out.

The Brazilian wasn’t scoring as many goals as City’s Erling Haaland was to start the year, but he has been integral to Arsenal’s attack and is very much a huge loss. The club and Mikel Arteta have put a lot of trust into Eddie Nketiah with a new contract over the summer.

Eddie will finally have a great opportunity to show what he’s made of over these next few months. He’ll be playing in his preferred role with his most talented teammates, and as we saw at the end of last season when we needed him to step up, he did just that. Eddie Nketiah can carry the burden.