Paul Merson claims he’d be ‘shocked’ if Arsenal maintain Premier League title challenge without injured Gabriel Jesus
ARSENAL legend Paul Merson admits he’d be “shocked” if Mikel Arteta’s men maintained their title challenge without star man Gabriel Jesus.
The Gunners are top of the Premier League table with four points separating them from second-placed Newcastle, while Manchester City have two games in hand.
Jesus played a critical role in the North Londoners’ success so far this season with five goals and six assists in 14 Premier League appearances.
But the striker suffered a knee injury during the 2022 World Cup while playing for Brazil and is expected to be sidelined for around three months.
Merson is not confident about Arsenal‘s title hopes without the 25-year-old because he is “everything” to the team.
The pundit also agrees with Arteta’s recent statement about the club having to be active in the January transfer window as he is not convinced Eddie Nketiah is a suitable replacement.
When asked if his former team can cope without Jesus, Merson told Sky Sports: “I hope they do, but I’d be shocked if they did.
“He’s everything to Arsenal in my opinion. That’s no disrespect to the other players because they’ve got some top players, but he just gels everything together.
“He takes you up the pitch, he holds it up, he’s had more touches in the box than any other play in the Premier League this season by a country mile.
“So that tells you absolutely everything about him.
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“I like Nketiah don’t get me wrong, he might be able to do it for one or two games.
“But I don’t see him doing it for three months and that’s where the problem starts.”