It’s not been Arsenal’s season this year.
Mikel Arteta’s side have had to deal with setback after setback thus far, from suspensions to campaign-defining injuries, and on top of it all, their form has been inconsistent.
However, there have been signs of improvement in their last two games against Crystal Palace, as Gabriel Jesus looks close to the sensational player he was when he first joined the club.
Premier League
Crystal Palace (A)
5-1 (W)
League Cup
Crystal Palace (H)
3-2 (W)
Premier League
Everton (H)
0-0 (D)
Champions League
AS Monaco (H)
3-0 (W)
Premier League
Fulham (A)
1-1 (D)
That said, he could soon have even more competition for a place in the team, as reports have linked the club with an incredible Premier League goalscorer who’s won comparisons to Dennis Bergkamp.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from the Telegraph, Arsenal are very keen on signing Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Cunha.
The report claims that the Gunners’ interest in the Brazilian dynamo existed prior to Bukayo Saka’s injury over the weekend and that getting the player out of Molineux next month will be incredibly difficult.
The story does not mention a potential transfer fee, but a report earlier this month claimed that the Old Gold could be willing to sell should an offer in the region of €70m be made, which converts to about £58m.
Whatever the final price, this could be an incredibly costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Cunha’s immense ability, it’s one worth pursuing, especially as he could be an upgrade on Jesus and has won comparisons to Bergkamp.
Cunha's comparison to Jesus and Bergkamp
Okay, so before we look at how Cunha stacks up to Jesus, let’s first examine this comparison to the iconic Bergkamp and where it comes from.
Well, this instance stems from former professional turned pundit Ashley Williams.
The former Welsh international praised the Brazilian star for his spectacular performance and goal against Fulham, describing his style of play as “Dennis Bergkamp-esque.”
“He’s such a strong runner, what a touch that is, a couple of touches actually. Great pass (from Lemina), that’s a sublime pass. This is Dennis Bergkamp-esque.
“Two touches and a finish, that’s what you want to see when you’re watching a game of football.
That said, while his display at Craven Cottage was definitely in the mould of the Non-Flying Dutchman, there is at least one other similarity between the pair: their positional flexibility.
The former Invincible could play in midfield or out wide but spent most of his time up front, either as the recognised centre-forward or a second striker.
Likewise, the former Hertha Berlin ace has played in the middle of the park and on the wings, but is at his most effective up top and down the middle.
With that said, how does Wolves’ marksman stack up to the Gunners’ current Brazilian number nine?
Well, from a pure output perspective, the most important metric of all for a striker, it’s an easy win for the 25-year-old.
For example, in 55 appearances since the start of last season, the “world-class” forward, as dubbed by writer George Lakin, has scored 24 goals and provided 12 assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.52 games, which for a relegation-threatened side is incredible.
Appearances
36
36
Goals
14
8
Assists
8
8
Goal Involvements per Match
0.61
0.44
Appearances
19
22
Goals
10
6
Assists
4
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.73
0.36
In contrast, the former Manchester City star has scored 14 goals and provided ten assists in 58 appearances across the same period, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 2.41 games.
Ultimately, while Jesus is still a brilliant player and seemingly in excellent form at the moment, he’s not been reliable enough over the last two seasons, whereas Cunha has been consistently sublime.
Therefore, while it’ll cost the club a pretty penny, Arsenal should do all they can to sign the Wolves star next year before someone else beats them to it.
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