Manchester City have a major decision to make this summer, as elite clubs such as Real Madrid and Juventus remain on the hunt for new forwards in the transfer window. That key decision concerns the future of exciting forward, Gabriel Jesus.
The Brazilian international is heavily linked with a move away to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, and there is no doubting that Jesus could become a very attractive proposition at the Allianz Stadium. The Serie A champions are on the hunt for a long-term forward, with Lautaro Martinez and Harry Kane also reportedly on their radar.
Jesus’ agent recently stated the player won’t be leaving the Etihad any time soon, unless the club want to sell, but the longer the player remains as an understudy to Sergio Aguero, the quicker Jesus could be out the door.
How much longer will Gabriel Jesus be considered an understudy to Sergio Aguero? There’s no question, Sergio Aguero is amongst the Premier League’s most deadliest and gifted goalscorers but sadly, the Argentinian isn’t getting any younger.
After celebrating his 23rd birthday this week, Gabriel Jesus can also look back on another positive season at the Etihad, despite his position as second in command. The Brazilian is certainly making a case to become Manchester City’s main man. 16 goals in all competitions this season, 5 in 6 Champions League games and 10 goals in 24 Premier League outings shows that the Brazilian is just the striker City need now and most importantly in the future.
His career statistics since his move to the Etihad in January 2017 makes for some impressive reading:
๐ Jesus’ City career by the numbers
- ๐ 139 appearances
- โฝ๏ธ 63 goals
- ๐ฏ 25 assists
- ๐ 2 Premier League titles
- ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ 1 FA Cup title
- ๐ฅ 3 League Cup titles
His stats show his predatory instincts in front of goal as no Premier League striker, not even Aguero has converted more ‘big chances’ per 90 than his 0.66. Also the Brazilian is seventh for shots per.90 (3.46), second for efforts on target (1.93) and fifth for touches in the opposition box. (7.84) {Football Whispers}. It’s remarkable the Brazilian can’t secure a starting berth.
In terms of his expected goals data, the forward is out-performing his XG score of 0.71 and has a post-shot XG per 90 of around 0.8 which no one in the English top-flight can match, implying that Jesus continues to create much impact when he’s on the pitch. The Brazilian is your archetypal penalty box predator, always in the right place at the right time because of his fantastic awareness, positioning and silky movement in the penalty box. Maybe he’s learned enough from Sergio Aguero to now finally take his seat as Manchester City’s crowning regular up-front.
When Jesus joined Manchester City, he was an unknown quantity, but since then he’s shown why is indeed the future at the Etihad and indeed Brazil’s main no.9 for years to come. Ever since his change of scenery, only Sergio Aguero (0.88) and Harry Kane (0.83) can better his goals per-90 ratio.
Against Real Madrid, in City’s ever-so impressive away win at the Bernabeu in February, Gabriel Jesus performed at his sparkling best. Lining up in an unorthodox role in off the left-hand side, Jesus showed Guardiola just why he’s the man to take the club forward. As well as scoring City’s equaliser, the Brazillian was outstanding in his defensive responsiblities, completing two tackles and two interceptions, also holding a passing accuracy of 95.2% from 3 key passes. Jesus is simply cutting edge in both his attacking and defensive contributions.
He’s not just an out-an-out goalscorer but his understanding and ability to create space and create chances means he is well on his way to becoming a much more complete and decorated forward and he’s only just turned 23. Manchester City cannot afford to let him leave, especially to a European rival in Juventus.
Jesus has certainly come on leaps and bounds, not only in his performance, but attitude. Never complains about his role, just gets on with it, taking his chances whenever the opportunity arises, and doing so with a patience and self-belief that will only serve him well moving forward. You can’t argue with the fact that Jesus is certainly making the most of his playing time, however limited it may be.
As a result, it is remarkably imperative City strengthen their stance on the forward and appreciate him for the brilliant forward he is. What’s scary is, he’s only going to get better. They’ll very much regret the decision to allow him to leave. City will need a new saviour once Aguero calls time on his Etihad career. Guardiola must make sure the Manchester City future is a Jesus-filled one.
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