Ordinarily, it’s never wise to read too much into pre-season results as it can often misrepresent where a team is in terms of readiness for the upcoming season. At least, we’ve seen teams in the past go the entirety of pre-season without winning only to start the new Premer League campaign with an inexplicable momentum that drives them up the league table.
In Arsenal’s case, it is the other way around with the Gunners blowing the opposition apart under the July summer sun which has, unsurprisingly, started a conversation around how far Mikel Arteta’s charges can go this season. In fact, if you bet on Premier League markets then you’ll see just how convincing Arsenal have been during the off-season with the Gunners now at just 9/5 for a top-four finish.
It should be said that there is always a hullabaloo around Arsenal given that they have a reactive and passionate fanbase that has a tendency to ride the highest of highs and also the lowest of lows. However, in this case, there is good reason to feel a genuine sense of expectation for the season ahead and that is down to the arrival of Gabriel Jesus.
This boy 🔥🔥🔥
❤️ @GabrielJesus9 pic.twitter.com/XbnMYwKmDG
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 30, 2022
Indeed, Jesus joined Arsenal in a £45 million deal after he left Manchester City in early July. It was a remarkable signing for many reasons but none more so than the fact that City has made it their business not to sell to their rivals. Needless to say, that decade-long policy was spectacularly broken when Jesus jetted into North London to put pen to paper on a five-year deal at the Emirates Stadium. As things stand, and once again, it’s important not to get too carried away with the goings-on in the pre-season, you do wonder if any of the City board have shifted nervously in their seats onboard their super yachts anchored in the Mediterranean after Jesus’ string of goals in this summer’s warmup fixtures.
Irrespective of the competitiveness of these games, seven goals in five pre-season matches suggests that Jesus is enjoying a new lease of life in Arsenal’s famous red and white strip, and should this form continue, then Arsenal will undoubtedly compete at the business end of the Premier League this season.
Gabriel Jesus has taken pre-season by storm ☔️ pic.twitter.com/POTMJCCHN6
— GOAL (@goal) July 30, 2022
In many respects, there is every reason to believe that it will when you take into account how accustomed Jesus has become to winning. In fact, it was City’s official website that described his time at the club in a parting message as a ‘trophy-laden five-and-a-half years at the Etihad Stadium.’
Essentially, that is perfectly summed up after the Brazilian won four Premier League titles, four League Cups, and one FA Cup during his time in the east of Manchester. This is the type of serial winner that Arsenal is getting, which makes for a promising dynamic in the Gunners’ changing room with Jesus’ will to win likely to be infectious.
All in all, this should make the Gunners one of the most improved teams this season, and with Jesus on board and now seemingly looking like he can walk on water, Arsenal could once again become the pride of London.
