‘just like Roberto Firmino’: Paul Merson says Arsenal have a player in their ranks who’s just like Roberto Firmino
Arsenal legend Paul Merson believes Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus is just like Liverpool’s Brazilian centre-forward, Roberto Firmino.
The two players were both in contention to go to the World Cup in Qatar, but only the Arsenal man made the cut. Sadly, the joy of representing his country was cut short by a terrible injury, and he’s now set to spend a while on the sidelines.
Paul Merson says Gabriel Jesus is Arsenal’s very own Roberto Firmino
Arsenal signed Jesus from Manchester City in the summer for £45 million (Sky Sports).
Everyone felt it was an amazing signing for the Gunners, and the Brazilian delivered by hitting the ground running. He scored five goals and provided three assists in his first eight league games, and he was among the best players in the country.
However, Jesus hasn’t scored a single goal since. It suddenly seemed like he lost his shooting boots, but the amount of work he put in for the team still made him an extremely valuable member of the squad.
Merson, who is really worried about Arsenal following Jesus’ injury, has hailed the 25-year-old’s ability to link play up. He even compared him to Liverpool star Firmino.
The pundit wrote on The Daily Star: “They could go eight points clear if they beat West Ham before Manchester City play a game and you still wouldn’t fancy them to win the title without Gabriel Jesus.
“It’s hard because even though he doesn’t score an awful lot of goals, he is still so effective. If he’s out for three months, I’d be shocked if they got in the top four. I just don’t see where the goals come from, I might be wrong. For me, it’s really worrying.
“This is no disrespect to Nketiah or the other players but Jesus gels everything together. He is Arsenal’s very own Roberto Firmino. Jesus has just been too influential in the first few months of the season, I just don’t see how they get by without him.”
Our View:
Jesus’ injury is certainly a massive blow – Mikel Arteta admitted that himself in his press conference this week.
The Gunners are currently on top of the Premier League table, five points clear of Manchester City. They have a huge chance of achieving something really special this season, but it will be incredibly difficult to do it with Jesus out for three months.
The Brazilian is arguably the biggest reason why the Gunners are where they are in the league table. He has just been brilliant, and Arteta will have to find a way to replace him now.
It will be interesting to see how Arsenal will fare without Jesus. They’ll definitely miss him.
