Barely a year since the last time an EFL Cup quarterfinal against Crystal Palace jumpstarted his Arsenal career, Gabriel Jesus is hoping that the same fixture can lead to similar results on his possible return to the starting XI. On December 18, 2024, Jesus’ first hat trick for the Gunners sparked a revival in his fortunes that came to a thudding halt three weeks later when he suffered yet another knee injury, one that would sideline him until the start of this month.
Jesus returned to action for the first time in 332 days in a 3-0 win over Club Brugge, the first of three sprightly performances off the bench from the Brazilian, who could be rewarded for that form with a first start as Mikel Arteta rotates his side for the second of seven games in a 22 day period across three competitions. “You can see now, not only in games, every day in training, how much he wants it,” Arteta said of the prospect of Jesus returning to the lineup. “He’s going to deserve a chance soon.”
That last line speaks to a compelling difference between now and 12 months ago. When Palace rocked up to the Emirates last season, Gabriel Jesus needed Arsenal perhaps more than they needed him. The back half of 2023-24 had seen the No.9 lose his place at the tip of the attack to Kai Havertz and he was doing little to suggest he might win that back. Prior to his hat trick Jesus was averaging career lows in shots and expected goals per 90 Premier League minutes off the back of a preseason that was finally supposed to shake the rust off those injured knees.
Then Martin Odegaard spotted his run, his first touch left Trevoh Chalobah in a tangle and in a flash Jesus was lofting the ball over Dean Henderson, the damn seemingly broken. Two more goals would come in that game, another brace against the same opponent three days later and another in a 3-1 win over Brentford. The sense was of a player who might soon get back to the one who had, as Arteta put it, “changed [Arsenal’s] world” on his arrival from Manchester City in 2022, immediately taking a side on the periphery of the top four to title contention.
Just as he was revving up came a rupture to the anterior cruciate ligament on his left knee in an FA Cup third round tie against Manchester United, the cruel irony being that it had been the right one giving him trouble for years. The fifth knee issue of his time at Arsenal, this seemed to be it for Jesus. “It’s been a really intense journey,” Arteta said ahead of Tuesday’s EFL Cup tie. “I think when he joined us, he lifted the belief, the spirit and the energy of the club and the team. 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.”
Indeed now it is Arsenal that need Jesus. Havertz is progressing well after a November setback in his recovery from a knee injury with the Gunners having earmarked a potential return for the German in the new year. He will need time to rediscover his form while Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty against Everton barely papered over cracks in another low touch, low threat performance. Jesus, dropping deep and pulling wide to combine with forwards, offers a more active threat, one that Arsenal insiders have generally viewed as Arteta’s favored approach from a number nine.
“That’s probably the biggest quality of Gabi, bringing people together, connecting with people and generating a lot of uncertainty in the opponent,” said the Arsenal manager. “When you see him [in the substitute appearance against Everton], the amount of spaces that he was involved in, that’s his biggest quality. So we need to exploit that.”
The sample size so far is miniscule, Jesus having played barely an hour of football this season, but the signs are that he has returned with a bang. Against Club Brugge he crashed a shot against the crossbar and the pressure he placed on Yerson Mosquera was enough to force the own goal that beat Wolves.
So far there have been more signs of Jesus the ceiling raiser than the forward who slogged his way through the autumn of 2024. If they could keep him fit — an almighty if for a team as wracked with injuries as this one — then there is no reason why he could not have a propulsive impact on the chase for the biggest prizes in the sport. This is a player who, as he himself put it, has “unfinished business” in north London. This is not a player looking to work some minutes back into his legs ahead of the World Cup. Jesus has lost time to make up for.
Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace viewing information
- Date: Tuesday, Dec. 23 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Emirates Stadium — London
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Arsenal -182; Draw +290; Crystal Palace +450
