Rumours have circulated that Gabriel Jesus will be fit for Arsenal's trip to Tottenham in this weekend's North London derby, according to journalist Tom Canton.
Jesus suffered a groin issue in August, and missed the Gunners' last two Premier League fixtures, a win away at Aston Villa and a frustrating draw with Brighton. The Brazilian struggled last season in front of goal for Mikel Arteta's side, scoring just four league goals, but his re-emergence would be positive news for the Spanish manager, as he faces something of an injury crisis in midfield, with three players ruled out.
Martin Odegaard suffered an ankle injury whilst on international duty with Norway, Mikel Merino is out until late October with a fractured shoulder, while Declan Rice was shown a controversial red card against Brighton prior to the international break. This significant list of absentees will likely provoke a reconfiguration of the team from Arteta, as his side looks to claim its third consecutive victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Canton: Jesus May Be Fit
The striker has consistently struggled with injuries at Arsenal
Since arriving from Manchester City in the summer of 2022 for £45 million, Jesus has persistently missed large portions of Arsenal's last two campaigns with injuries. Sparkling in his first six months at the Emirates, the forward missed three months due to a knee injury in his debut campaign in Islington, derailing the Gunners' title charge.
While he still managed to find the back of the net 11 times that season, last campaign he evidently played through injury, and ended the year with just eight accurate strikes 36 appearances. However, with a crucial encounter with rivals Tottenham awaiting this Sunday, Arteta will be delighted to potentially have another dangerous option at his disposal to call upon if need be.
Speaking on the 'Gold and Guest Talk Tottenham' podcast, Canton revealed that Jesus may be fit, and pointed out how this could allow Arteta to move Kai Havertz into midfield in the absence of Odegaard and Rice:
"It's interesting because one of the other decisions is on Gabriel Jesus. And if Jesus is back, which there are some whispers that he could be, I think that'll probably most certainly see Kai Havertz drop into the midfield, and then it'll be Jorginho and (Thomas) Partey. I think even if Odegaard had have been fit, Havertz still would have dropped in to replace Declan Rice."
Sterling Could Make Debut
The winger signed from Chelsea on deadline day
In a shock deadline day transfer, Arsenal signed Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling on loan, with the Gunners not paying the Blues a loan fee for the player. Another by-product of the depleted nature of the midfield could be that Sterling makes his debut in a red shirt against Tottenham this weekend.
The England international scored eight goals and provided four assists for the West Londoners last season in 31 Premier League appearances, and thus clearly still has plenty to offer at this level. With Havertz likely moving into midfield, the experienced wide man could form a front three involving Jesus and Bukayo Saka against the Lilywhites.