Arsenal’s chance of lifting a trophy this season took a massive hit on Tuesday night.
Mikel Arteta’s side played host to Newcastle United in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final and ultimately fell to a 2-0 defeat despite creating more than enough chances to win the game.
Perhaps, then, had the manager started the in-form Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick in the last round, his side would be heading to St James’ Park with a slender advantage.
The last month or so has seen the Brazilian look somewhere close to the player who joined the club in 2022, but it could be too late for him as recent reports have touted another exciting forward for a move to N5.
Arsenal target Premier League phenom
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides keen on signing Aston Villa star Jhon Duran.
In fact, the report has revealed that alongside Barcelona, Napoli, Chelsea, and FC Bayern Munich, the Gunners have enquired about a possible move, while Paris Saint-Germain are weighing up whether they should make an offer.
It’s not just the extent of the competition that could provide the North Londoners with a pause for thought either, as, according to the story, Villa have placed a £60m price tag on the striker’s head.
It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Duran’s ability and massive potential, one well worth fighting for, even if it spells bad news for Jesus.
How Jhon Duran compares to Jesus
So, if Arsenal are able to get ahead of the competition and bring in Duran this year, he’d likely come in as, at the very least, the club’s new back-up striker, in turn putting him up against Jesus, but how do the pair compare?
Well, when it comes to their pure output, which is the most important metric of all for centre-forwards, it’s the “powerful” Colombian, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, who comes out on top.
For example, in just 26 appearances, totalling 976 minutes, across all competitions this season, he has scored 12 goals, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.16 games or every 81.33 minutes and lends credence to Mattinson’s claim he possesses a “huge ceiling.”
In contrast, the former Manchester City star has scored seven goals and provided two assists in 26 appearances, totalling 1164 minutes this season, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 2.88 games or every 129.33 minutes.
Unfortunately for the Brazilian ace, the one-sided nature of this comparison extends to their underlying numbers.
|
Duran vs Jesus |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats per 90 |
Duran |
Jesus |
|
Non-Penalty Expected G+As |
0.74 |
0.54 |
|
Actual Non-Penalty G+As |
1.05 |
0.44 |
|
Shots |
4.34 |
2.96 |
|
Shots on Target |
2.24 |
1.04 |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
2.54 |
2.66 |
|
Aerial Duels Won |
2.69 |
1.32 |
|
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 PL Season |
||
For example, in most relevant metrics, the Villa ace comes out on top, including, but not limited to, actual and expected non-penalty goals plus assists, shots and shots on target, and aerial duels won, all per 90.
Ultimately, Jesus is an incredibly talented footballer, but he’s not quite at the level to take Arsenal forward anymore.
In contrast, Duran looks like he could be, and given how well he’s played at just 21 years old this season, there is no telling just how good he could be a few years down the line.
Related
David Ornstein: Arsenal targeting the new Odegaard with “elite potential”
The exceptional talent could be a sensational signing for Arsenal.