Arsenal have finally brought back Gabriel Jesus after a grueling 10 months out. The 28-year-old Brazilian returned to training this week after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in January. Jesus’ return coincides with an injury to Victor Goqueres, with the Swede currently suffering from a hamstring problem.
In Jesus’ absence, Mikel Arteta has significantly strengthened Arsenal’s attack, creating more intense competition for positions than ever before during his tenure at the Emirates Stadium. This competitiveness appears to have fostered a winning environment in north London, with the Gunners being favorites to take the Premier League spot for the sixth consecutive week.
Ahead of the international break, Express Sport explores Arsene Wenger’s efforts to stoke Romeo Beckham’s rebellion against his father David, while Arteta firmly blocks a potential transfer for one of his key players.
The Beckhams’ different views
It seems almost inconceivable that the Manchester United legend would have a son who not only does not support the Red Devils, but is also a fan of their bitter rivals, Arsenal. But that’s the reality for the Beckham family, with David and Victoria’s younger son Romeo a huge supporter of the Gunners.
As David revealed in an interview with former United teammate Rio Ferdinand, the England icon could direct his anger at Wenger, who was solely responsible for Romeo’s fandom at the north London side. Beckham revealed on Ferdinand’s YouTube channel last year how Wenger worked his magic on him, saying: “He was really young and we were in London one Friday and he said, ‘Dad, let’s go to the game this weekend.’
“Then I started watching the games and I thought, ‘Oh, Arsenal are home.’ Then I thought, whenever I go to see United and Arsenal play, they’re so nice to me, so I thought, okay, they’ll look after us and we won’t have any trouble getting in.”
“No hassle, just sat there. So we went in and had great seats. We sat in the director’s box. The pre-game lunch was unbelievable. It was like Wagyu beef, everything. So we went in, I was sitting there, and Arsene comes into the room and he comes straight to the table, introduces himself to Romeo, and he says, ‘Come with your son.’
“So he took him into the changing room, met all the players, gave him a shirt, signed an autograph, took him onto the pitch, walked him back to the table and handed him an Arsenal cashmere scarf and that was it. It was over. Since then we have tried to change his mind but it was impossible.”
£30m star transfer rejected
The Gunners have benefited from increased depth this season despite the long-term absences of Kai Havertz and Jesus. Nevertheless, the substitute bench is poised to receive a major boost with the return of the Brazilian, who trained for the first time this week since injuring his anterior cruciate ligament against Manchester United in January.
The 28-year-old is one of many attacking options, but he could be behind Victor Goqueres and Mikel Merino when it comes to the number nine position. Everton are rumored to be open to a £30m deal in January, but any potential winter move is likely to be thwarted by the Spanish manager. Asked on the club’s official website if he thought Jesus would stay at Arsenal long-term, manager Arteta insisted he intended to keep him because of injuries up front.
“Yeah, because we didn’t have[forwards]and now we don’t have Victor, we don’t have Kai for three months, we don’t have a lot of other forwards. Unfortunately, that’s what’s happening on a regular basis, so we need those options and what an option to have with Gabi.”
