• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. Gabriel Jesus completes his Arsenal-to-Barcelona move.
  2. His versatility could add depth to Barcelona’s attack.
  3. Jesus arrives looking to revive his form at Camp Nou.

Although Gabriel Jesus may have been brought to Barcelona as an alternative to Julian Alvarez, the Brazilian striker does not see his move to Camp Nou as a mere consolation.

Rather, the 29-year-old considers the transfer to be a dream taken into reality and a chance to revitalize his career at one of the top clubs in football history.

Gabriel Jesus' signing sent a lot of shock waves to Barcelona fans, considering his recent form.

The signing of Jesus was confirmed by the Spanish giants after they waited too long for the transfer of Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez.

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According to certain reports, Barcelona paid around €10 million for the Brazilian who is expected to help the club bring back missing pieces of its attack after losing two key players, Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

Jesus commented on being Plan B for Barcelona after Alvarez and said that this was not something that bothered him.

“I’m not offended,” Jesus said. “I have the chance to be here at Barcelona, I had a chance 10 years ago and life took me in another direction, but now I can be here and it’s a dream for me.

“I always want to do the best I can, I’m a guy who works hard, I know my qualities, but work I think always pays off.”

Barcelona’s Need For A Natural No.9

Jesus’ timing is impeccable, as Barcelona is in desperate need of a top-class goal scorer following the departures of Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

Raphinha has shown that he can play in a central position, and having played three matches there, he has scored five goals, which is impressive.

Raphinha is a winger who can drift inwards and become a threat but is not a classic center-forward who can occupy defenders, be a physical point of contact, and score goals from within the box. However, Jesus is a prolific goal scorer who can score goals in the opponent's box.

What Gabriel Jesus Brings To Barcelona

Jesus is not simply a conventional penalty-box striker. His movement, pressing, link-up play and ability to drop between the lines could make him particularly useful in Hansi Flick’s system. He can also operate from the wings, giving Barcelona tactical flexibility depending on the opposition.

Flick has already backed the signing, describing Jesus as a “top striker” and praising his style of play as a good fit for Barcelona.

Nonetheless, the main worry at the moment is the current form and injury history of the player. Jesus has only managed to score 32 goals from 123 games played for Arsenal and he was also unable to establish himself as a regular player throughout the last season and the serious knee injury he suffered in the past prevented him from playing for a long time.

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However, the transfer itself can be viewed as a low-risk move made by Barcelona. Jesus claims he is in absolute good form; there are no injury issues, and his experience gained while playing at Manchester City and Arsenal is enough for him to perform well for Barcelona as well.

Barcelona would have liked to sign Alvarez, but Jesus has a chance to prove that he can be as good as Alvarez.

With Lewandowski and Ferran leaving the club and Raphinha not a natural No.9, the Brazilian player can turn out to be the key element of Barcelona's attack.


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