Mikel Arteta has two huge reasons why Gabriel Jesus Arsenal decision is now a no-brainer

Arsenal are by no means out of the Premier League title race but they are now relying on the unflappable Manchester City stumbling at the last hurdle.

It has been a brilliant turnaround at the Emirates Stadium by Mikel Arteta and many will cite the transfer activity at the beginning of the 2022/23 season as the catalyst for the resurgence. That summer saw the Gunners purchase both Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from City.

At the time, it was seen as a statement of intent particularly considering how solid both men had been for Pep Guardiola. Arguably, without managing to convince the duo to move to the capital, Arsenal would not have completed the signing of Declan Rice the following summer.

Jesus' modest goalscoring haul was neither here nor there, both men helped change the attitude around the club and transitioned them from top-four candidates to title contenders. However, should the Gunners, as is expected, miss out on the Premier League this season, it will only add weight to two huge reasons why the time has now come to sell their Brazilian forward.

While there is plenty of room for sympathy with Jesus, there is little room for sentimentality when it comes to pushing for the ultimate prize in English football. Sadly, the centre-forward is not putting in the performances which his large wage demands.

According to Capology, Jesus is the second highest earner at Arsenal behind Kai Havertz with a reported weekly wage of £265,000. Unfortunately, his eight goals and eight assists this campaign do not strike as value for money at this stage.

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The second big reason for Jesus' likely exit this summer came this week when Brazil announced he had missed out on the squad for Copa America. This would undoubtedly have come as a blow for the 27-year-old who as recently as November was called up for his nation's World Cup qualifiers.

Unfortunately, Brazil have seen what Arteta must also have noticed that Jesus is not currently at the standard needed to push on at the top level. If Arsenal were to free his wages up, they could use them to bring a player of Victor Osimhen's ilk to the club and perhaps push themselves a step closer to ending City's monopoly at the top of the Premier League.