Mikel Arteta drops Gabriel Jesus selection hint as Arsenal manager hails Brazilian’s ‘fighting spirit’ after ACL recovery

The Eagles are due at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. Arteta is in the process of drawing up plans for that contest, with the expectation being that he will shuffle his pack. Arsenal battled their way to a 1-0 victory over Everton on Saturday. They will be back in Premier League action on December 27 when playing host to Brighton.

With the Gunners seeing their lead at the top of the table cut to two points, Arteta is having to determine what his priorities are this season when it comes to trophy chasing. The Carabao Cup may be slipping down that list.

Said competition does, however, present Arsenal with opportunities to get important minutes into those that have found themselves on the fringes of the fold. Jesus slots into that category having missed several months of action after picking up an ACL injury in January.

He has made three cameo appearances off the bench since returning to fitness, with Arteta telling reporters when asked if the South American is in contention to figure from the off against Palace: “Yes, he is. You can see now, not only on games, every day in training how much he wants it. He's going to deserve a chance soon.”

Jesus netted five goals across a matter of days against Palace last season, with a Carabao Cup hat-trick being followed by a Premier League brace. He was then laid low and has been left watching on from afar for long periods.

Arsenal bolstered their attacking ranks when acquiring Swedish hot-shot Viktor Gyokeres over the summer, but he is still finding his feet in English football. Jesus will be a useful alternative at Arteta’s disposal when it comes to filling a central striking berth.

The Spaniard admits as much, saying of the man that wears the No.9 shirt in north London: “I think that's probably the biggest quality of Gabi, bringing people together, connecting with people and generating a lot of uncertainty in the opponent. When you see him, the amount of spaces that he is in involved in, that's his biggest quality. So we need to exploit that.”

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Jesus moved to Emirates Stadium in 2022 as a four-time Premier League title winner. His next appearance for the Gunners will be his 100th across all competitions, with Arteta adamant that he still has an important role to play.

He added: “Well it's been a really intense journey. I would say. I think when he joined us, I think he lifted the belief, the spirit and the energy of the club and the team. I think he gave something very different to what we already had, and it was really impressive.

“And then he had some very bad injuries that hasn't allowed him to have the consistency that we need from a very important player. But he's back, I think his fighting spirit, he's decided to always prepare the best way. He's unbelievable and the team has got it now and we need to use it.”

Jesus has generated plenty of transfer talk during his enforced absence, with it being suggested that he could be lured to the Saudi Pro League or back to his homeland at boyhood club Palmeiras.

He has, however, responded to that speculation by telling The Players’ Tribune: “People have asked, 'Why don’t you just leave? Why don’t you go to Saudi? Or back home to Brazil?' One day, I would love for everything to come full circle with Palmeiras, but not today.

“I feel that I have unfinished business at Arsenal. I don’t want to leave. When I came here to join Mikel [Arteta], my purpose was not only to score goals. My purpose was to win titles.”

Jesus is only under contract at Arsenal until the summer of 2027. They may have to listen to offers for the 28-year-old in upcoming transfer windows, with his market value set to dwindle the closer to free agency his deal is allowed to run.