In numbers - what will Jesus bring the Gunners?

5 July 2022

Andy Cryer, BBC Sport

Gabriel Jesus was never considered a prolific goalscorer during his time at Manchester City, although 95 goals in 236 appearances isn't a bad return.

Add to that his trophy haul with Pep Guardiola's men; four titles, three League Cups and an FA Cup, and you can understand the excitement among Arsenal fans.

With Mikel Arteta's young Arsenal squad showing plenty of promise last season, one of their key deficiencies was in front of goal, scoring fewer than the four teams who finished above them.

Arteta relied on his younger players for goals, with 20-year-old Bukayo Saka their leading scorer with 12, and fellow England international Emile Smith Rowe, 21, adding 11.

A closer look at Jesus' stats suggest, given regular game time, he could provide the extra goals the Gunners need.

He has scored in 42% of his Premier League starts - the 13th highest ratio in the competition's history among players with more than 50 Premier League starts.

His average of 159 minutes per goal also ranks favourably, being the 14th best among players with 50 or more Premier League goals once penalties are removed from their tallies.

Jesus brought far more than just goals to Manchester City, though, with his work-rate and ability to play in various roles across the forward line making him a key man for Guardiola.

He was often called upon for the Premier League champions' biggest games and was something of a talisman for them. He lost just 19 of the 121 top-flight matches in which he appeared for City, with a 76% win rate.

Jesus assisted eight league goals for City in 2021-22, the joint-most of any player at the club, along with Kevin de Bruyne, and assisted 29 in his time at the club, creating 151 chances.

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