Gabriel Jesus might have played a pivotal role in Arsenal's improved season, but Mikel Arteta has been urged to look elsewhere for a new star striker.
Despite a lengthy injury lay-off, the Brazilian striker scored 11 times in the Premier League and added a new dimension to the Gunners following his £45million move from Man City. However, Arteta is out to bolster his squad this summer after the fragility of his squad was exposed amid their end-of-season title collapse.
And now the Spanish boss has been told Romelu Lukaku is the man to lead the line for his side. The Belgian striker is currently on loan at Inter Milan from Chelsea, and is preparing for a Champions League final against City on November 10.
But the future of the 30-year-old, who has scored 14 times in 35 matches this campaign, remains unclear. And now talkSPORT pundit Darren Bent, an Arsenal fan despite Spurs being among his former clubs, has insisted he'd take the £97.5 million man at the Emirates.
Quizzed by co-host Andy Goldstein on Drive if he'd sign Lukaku, Bent replied: “Yes. Without a doubt.” He stopped short of suggesting that Jesus should be sold as a result, but doubled down on his view: “No, I’m not getting rid of anyone, but I’d have him (Lukaku)," he continued.
"He would get us more goals than Gabriel Jesus. What Gabriel Jesus did at Arsenal [this season] was brilliant, but there were times he would frustrate me because he wasn’t in the box enough. There were times the ball would flash across the box and no one was in there – he’s on the edge of the box. But Lukaku, I know he’s in there.”
Would Romelu Lukaku be a better option for Arsenal than Gabriel Jesus? Share your views in the comments below
Bent, 39, also mooted the potential of playing both Jesus and Lukaku in the same side, utilising the ex-Palmeiras player in a manner similar to how Pep Guardiola did at City: “I’d start Gabriel Jesus on the left potentially," said Bent.
Pressed on whether that would confine Gabriel Martinelli - another of the team's star performers in 2022/23 - to the role as a substitute, the former England international said: “Maybe, one or the other. It’s a squad game. But I would start Lukaku down the middle over Gabriel Jesus.”
However, Arteta moving to sign the Chelsea man appears an unrealistic notion. The club have made West Ham midfielder Declan Rice the top target in their rebuild, with their London rivals valuing him at around £100 million, a fee likely to take up the bulk of Arteta's transfer budget should he land the 24-year-old.
