Arsenal icon Ian Wright believes that duo Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko were key signings this summer for the Gunners, claiming they’re like two players in one.
The pair made the switch to North London from Manchester City, costing roughly a combined £75million.
Their quality, versatility and attitude have all been points praised by Mikel Arteta since they joined the club in the summer, having already worked under him when he was assistant manager with the Citizens. Zinchenko has had a stop-start beginning to the campaign after suffering a few injury concerns, but has shown glimpses of his ability as well as the tactical flexibility at the manager’s disposal.
Discussing his place in the side, Arteta said: “We encourage him [to move into midfield] and he’s a midfield player playing as a full-back, it gives us the adaptability and the variety of positions to attack and defend spaces. It’s an extra weapon to have because we are more unpredictable.”
Jesus has come in for plenty of praise from many, having contributed with his goals and assists as well as his work rate. “He’s 25 years old so he can still improve his level a lot,” Arteta said when discussing the Brazilian. “He’s hungry enough and he’s got huge desire to get better and better and be the best he can be. That’s what he needs to do.”
The contributions of both has led to former striker Wright praising the pair on NBC’s The two Robbies podcast, claiming: “What Jesus and Zinchenko give us is amazing, not just the way they play, they’re both like two players each.
“Gabriel Jesus does that left and centre-forward and he does them both better than [Alexandre] Lacazette and [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang used to do them.” It’s a huge claim from Wright, though Jesus has already managed to better both of their goal tallies from last season after just ten games at the club.
It remains to be seen if either player will continue to have the same impact on the side going forward, however it shows a clear line of progression when it comes to Arsenal’s recent recruitment.
