Gabriel Jesus ready to rekindle best Arsenal form at start of new season

Another uncharacteristic Bayer Leverkusen error allowed Gabriel Jesus to pounce. Arsenal must've forced Xabi Alonso's champions into more giveaways during the first half of Wednesday's friendly compared to the entirety of the 2023/24 season.

The Gunners were purring on home soil. 2-0 ahead in the opening ten minutes, Leverkusen had been handed a "slap in the face", as Alonso described post-match. The game had settled after Arsenal's early blitz, but a loose throw was seized upon by the hosts' exuberant Brazilian.

Jesus cut inside onto his preferred right foot, benefitted from a trademark Kai Havertz run which opened up a central void, and made the most of Matej Kovar's paper-like wrists to triple Arsenal's advantage. It was a sequence Jesus deserved following a standout opening 45 minutes.

The striker was withdrawn at half-time, with Arteta keen to manage the former Manchester City star who's struggled with persistent injury woes since sustaining a knee injury at the 2022 World Cup. Finally, 18 months on from that initial setback, the boss believes Jesus' apex is making a comeback.

Gabriel Jesus ready to rekindle best Arsenal form at start of new season

It seemed as if Man City had made a grave error by allowing Jesus to join Arsenal two summers ago in a £45m deal. The start of 2022/23 was nothing short of mesmeric from the Brazilian, seemingly desperate to vent the frustration of having been a mere bit-part player for much of his time at the Etihad.

He was now the star in north London, and Jesus shined with the newfound responsibility. He recorded eight goal contributions in his first nine Premier League outings with the club, but his impact transcended mere final-third output. Jesus, with his ability to hold the ball up, combine, rotate, and burst beyond hopeful tacklers meant he was utterly transformative at the start of his Arsenal career.

The knee injury at the World Cup represents a distinct turning point. Jesus endured three months on the sidelines and was productive upon his return, but something was missing. The verve, slickness, and borderline genius had dissipated, and this muted iteration of the samba striker manifested throughout 2023/24 as he failed to find a groove. He ended last season with just eight goals in 36 appearances, and Kai Havertz ended the campaign as Mikel's go-to man.

The campaign was such a disappointment for Jesus that there were murmurs of a potential exit this summer had Arsenal moved for their long-term #9. Had the club signed Benjamin Sesko at the start of the window, Jesus may have been in trouble. However, a departure was never considered in Gunners' quarters, and the club now hope to benefit from a seemingly rejuvenated Jesus.

“The first feeling when I saw him this summer… it was something different", Arteta said after Wednesday's emphatic win.

“I could sense it. The energy from Gabriel was different. The way he looks is different. The way he moves is different… he looks good!” he added.

Jesus certainly looks 'different', but it's a version of which we're familiar and were once enamoured by. There's juice in the Brazilian's legs again, and Jesus' potency may well be the difference between glory and disappointment come next May.

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