‘Very important’: Santi Cazorla now says ‘phenomenal’ Arsenal man was the signing of the summer
Arsenal are currently preparing for potentially the biggest game of their season so far.
The North London derby is always a huge event, but with the Gunners currently top of the table, it has even more significance today.
Mikel Arteta was Arsenal’s captain during Cazorla’s time at The Emirates.
He’s now gone on to manage the side brilliantly, while Cazorla continues to play in Qatar for Al Sadd.
He’s sure to be keeping a very close eye on events in north London today, with the Gunners in a position to extend their lead over Manchester City.
It appears as though Arsenal will have Bukayo Saka available after some doubts over his fitness.
One player they will still be without is forward Gabriel Jesus.
The Brazilian picked up a serious knee injury during the World Cup and is expected to be unavailable for several months.
However, Cazorla has insisted that Jesus was the best signing of the summer in the Premier League.
His influence on Arsenal since arriving from The Etihad has been impossible to ignore.
Jesus is the signing of the summer – Cazorla
Speaking to The Athletic about the 25-year-old forward, Cazorla said: “It’s bad news for the club [Jesus’ injury] because he’s a very important player.
“I think he’s [been] the best signing of the summer. He’s got a lot of goals and assists.
“He was doing well, it worked for the club and the players. So, we’ll see [how much it affects them].
“We have a lot of very good players, but Gabriel is very important. I hope he recovers well and comes back strong.”
The ‘phenomenal’ forward has had to watch on as Eddie Nketiah attempts to pick up where he left off.
Arteta has said that Jesus has taken Nketiah under his wing in recent weeks, which is a very encouraging sign.
The Brazilian is clearly a leader in the background for the Gunners, even when unable to contribute on the pitch.
There are plenty of players besides Jesus that could claim to be the signing of the summer.
If Jesus can help guide Arsenal to an unlikely Premier League title, then it would be very difficult to argue against him.
