Gabriel Jesus is set to miss the start of the new season due to a knee injury which has required minor surgery,.
The Brazilian was missing from tonight’s Emirates Cup win over Monaco, and after the penalty shoot-out win Mikel Arteta expanded on his absence.
The Arsenal boss said, “Unfortunately he had a little procedure this morning. He had some discomfort in his knee that has been causing some issues, and they had to go in and resolve it.
“It’s nothing major but he’s going to be out for a few weeks, I think.
“It’s a big blow, because we had him back to his best, especially the way he played against Barcelona and he was in good condition.
“But he’s been feeling some discomfort for the last few weeks, we had to look at it and make a decision, and the best one is protect the player and to get him back as quick as possible we decided to do it.
“It’s related to the previous injury he had and the surgery, he had some irritation in the knee and we had to get it resolved.”
Arsenal have Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard, Flo Balogun and Kai Havertz who can all play as the main striker, but this really isn’t ideal on the eve of a new season.
Fuck
I’ll raise you a Fuckity fuck!
Maybe a good time convince Raya to sign on a free in 2024 and channel those funds into a CF.
Seems kinda crazy that we are pursuing a player that we don’t really need when we have a gaping hole in our attack.
How many Rayas for an Mbappe?
Reports suggest Raya has already accepted personal terms. You probably mean convince Brentford.
As for whether we need him, Ramsdale is good, but Raya is just statistically better. Either we are going for some Szcesney/Ospina rotation vibes, or Arteta is being ruthless in the final push to the next level.
These goalkeeper stats as an indicator of how good the player is in match play are highly questionable. Buying Raya would be a disastrous move. Would unsettle ramsdale who had a fkn brilliant season last year and is a leader in the team and he plays 2 fkn pre season games (not even that badly) and suddenly he’s fkn shit?! Everybody get a fkn grip.
Competition is good, but it is not the one ans only solution to make things work. I for one don’t get this.
Convince Brentford to allow their player to run his contract down?
I mean, we could try. But I don’t think they’ll go for it.
Fuckity fuck fuck fuck it.
Fucking eh brucey!
Folarin Balogun
Trossard
Folandro Balard
Pepe ! okay, okay.. let’s not get to disheartened, we have a great squad, Havertz has been employed in Jesus role, Trossard is well equipped with assists and goals, Eddie & Balagon can score goals, its up to Miki to get the balance right, a good performance rather than the result is what I’m hoping for Sunday and No injuries please only for them..
Trossard did really, really well for us when Jesus was injured in the last campaign, and he’s looked one of our best pre-season players. I think we have cover.
Must be heartbreaking for Jesus.
Who is a gooner.
Goes without saying but we cannot go into the Premier League and the Champions League with Nketiah leading the line.
We’ll have literally gone backwards from last season already. Having a 4-5 goal a season striker starting for us after spending £200m+ isn’t ideal
We can’t afford to have him out for an extended period, but if it’s truly “a few weeks” we will be okay. The other key upgrades in the rest of the squad should make us more resilient overall.
My bigger worry about this is whether this will be a recurring issue. Consistency for our top players is important.
Knee surgery does not equal “a few weeks”.
See you In 2024 Gab
you have to be joking.
Whoa whoa whoa there, fella.
Literally gone backwards?
Well, I think your definition of “backwards” might not comport with the rest of the world. But hey ho, we could ALL be wrong….
Our mids can score 15 a piece, so goals aren’t the worry. It’s his overall presence – energy, drive, harassment – that we’ll mostly miss.
Bro stop saying goals aren’t a worry. City literascored more goals than us. The truth is Nketiah is mid – we just seem to be a lacklustre team with him leading the line – even if he scores the odd goals every six month or so. We play a lot better with Jesus up front or even Balogun upfront. In fact we had our best spells of preseason when nketiah was not on the pitch. Having nketiah leading our line after having spent 200 mil is I agree not ideal. For 105 mil I expect out of the box world… Read more »
Just a horrible comment all around.
which part and how?
is nketiah a top 10 prem striker? would you take rice over partey (~40 mil) / bellingham (120mil)? did rice have a poor game today? i know rice hasn’t had enough time but we paid a hefty price for him – whats the most competitive game rice has played in – has he set the champions league or premier league alight – rice comes from a more defensive system than arsenal so it’ll take him some time to bed in – and there’s a risk that he struggles to get to grips with our style of football
Why? Some valid points made.
I would not say backwards until we have played atleast 10 games. If Havertz cements his position in the Xhaka role then that is good progress. Timber I think would be backup because Ben White I believe is pretty good. I even see Ben White moving center back if Timber deserves a start. Declan Rice, in my opinion, will not start ahead of Partey in the 6 role. It may be that Arteta plays both but I am willing to bet that Partey get’s selected for more starts this season than Partey. But Partey might lose his position to Declan… Read more »
“I am willing to bet that Partey get’s selected for more starts this season than Partey”
I’ll take that bet if you’re still offering it mate 🙂
Nketiah scored 5 goals in the games that Jesus missed last season after the WC. I’d back him to do the same again.
Or Trossard.
Or Havertz.
What do you want to do? Spend £50m on a new striker who then has to spend the rest of the season on the bench when Jesus comes back?
Calm down.
We’re about to buy Raya when we have Ramsdale. Jesus is having issues with his knee. Our only back up is Nketiah. Nketiah scored 4 goals last season in the PL. And btw we lost drew or lost 3 back to back PL games with him starting against Everton, City and Brentford. Following which he was replaced by trossard and then we won’t all our games until trossard was replaced by Jesus. Yes I do want a striker who will not be benched when Jesus comes back but truly be considered as competition for the 9. I think Balogun could… Read more »
The manager’s wonderkid Fabio Vieira will replace him. We don’t need to buy a striker after all.
That’s just a really pointless, nonsensical comment. Why bother?
Unfortunately there’s a section of the fan base who have made a rod for their own back with the Vieira criticism – so no matter what he does they will feel compelled to criticise him further.
You only have to look at my comment in the match thread that says I hope he can silence a few critics after a good performance today – a lot of people are downvoting this sentiment – like they are determined for him to fail. Very odd behaviour from a fanbase
I see talent and drive in Vieira and he really wants to play for Arsenal wherever he is asked to do it but as I have said it before, he needs few kg of muscle on his frame. PL midfielders and defences are shoving him off the ball and he has to work that much extra to go around them vs through them. Think of Martinelli when we got him vs now it was quite similar with gaining muscle and sizing up. They use to shove him off the ball too but not so much now.
He’s not really comparable to Martinelli – he isn’t a player that looks to beat opponents – he is a creator. The season prior to us signing him he got 14 assists and 6 goals from something like 18 starts – almost all of which came from attacking mid (CAM) and second striker – he only played a total of 156 minutes on the wing all season. You don’t need to be strong to thread a pass, and if he did then the coaches at arsenal would’ve have him in the gym. I suspect the coaches are more focused on… Read more »
Yes to all of that but also pretty sure he is in the gym and slowly getting stronger, but that takes time. He had a play in this game where he literally held back a defender to then set up Martinelli so clearly there’s progress on this front and I’m sure there will be more. And it’s often nothing to do with kg of muscle, you can get stronger without putting on muscle and as a footballer, especially as a shifty attacking midfielder usually you’d rather go that route.
I completely get your point but you may be missing mine. I’m absolutely not comparing Martinelli and Vieira as a same type of player. I’m simply stating the obvious that just like Martinelli when he came to Arsenal, Vieira can’t play through physical contact, no matter how minimal. It completely unbalances him and size of PL players scares him. Watch carefully every time he plays, opposition goes body contact on him 1st, usually small bump which puts him square as a means to disrupt him and he either hits the deck or hurries a pass. It’s an obvious tactic because… Read more »
This is very true, and is plain for all to see.. Adding a bit of bulk is probably the easiest thing any player is able to do – the fact that he hasn’t suggests that it is not seen as a primary issue by the coaching staff?
He really looks like a kid amongst men out there
I like Vieira. He just needs to learn how to play through contact and stay on his feet. He seems to eager to go to ground. If he takes that out of his game and just has better balance he would be a lot more dangerous. While he doesn’t take on people or has incredible pace like Saka – his technical ability and output is pretty good.
To be fair, I think it was intended to be ironic.
I don’t think so. He seems to be the latest scapegoat. There are a lot of “fans” who can’t get by without a player to pick on.
True of 99.99% of the internet tbf
Flo and Eddie won’t get a better chance.
Would I lie to you baby…?
Smart Arteta will be praising and cuddling Balogun the next few days.
Are all your opinions direct from your sphincter?
Eddie looked really good in the highlights, had a sweet turn and dribble at one point and then the goal. I think in retrospect he was probably already hobbled when his form dipped last season after the Man U game? I’d back him do well for us to start the season.
Yep Eddie, has proved he can do the business when he’s the main man. Gutted about Jesus, but if deep down Arteta feels we need to strengthen our CF position there’s still time.
This is a great point in that we never quite know if players are struggling for form or dealing with an injury that’s limiting them somewhat. But the Artetians know and they would pass much better judgement on which players have the levels in them.
This was my concern and my confusion about hanging Flo out for sale. Jesus is awesome, but he had major knee surgery and that doesn’t just sort itself out, especially at 26. You have a player that’s the age of many starters on the team and has proven himself in Ligue 1. Why go import some talent and drop more money? Nketiah picks up knocks as well. And we have the Champions League this season, which means a lot more wear and tear, especially in the new dynamic system. Keep Flo!
Wait, is 26 old now ??? Fucking hell
26 is the new 32
What are the odds of Nketiah, Balogun, Trossard or Havertz starting the season’s opener? Cast your votes as likes.
It’s Nketiah or Trossard. No point in debating either of the other two, not going to happen.
How do you cast votes between four players using the like and dislike buttons? Or even better, how do you use them to figure the odds?
Well, if you want to go technical, he did say “OR”, so you can place your bet on either of them starting (like) or none of them starting (dislike).
As of this comment the ratio is 1 like to 4 dislikes. So the arseblog collective has estimated an 80% chance of none of them starting.
Ludicrous, I say.
Poor Gabi, he’s worked so hard to be back fit. I’m not sure how we move forward with this, can Eddie, Leo and Kai cover or do we need to bring in someone/keep Balogun? I suppose it depends how long the recovery will be and if Balogun has really been as demanding and gobby as is being reported.
Martinelli.
The most likely thing to have happened is that he tore his meniscus repair in the winter when he got injured playing for Brazil. This would have been repaired, meaning it has to be immobilised for a period of time (hence the knee brace). Jesus clearly made a decent recovery and did reasonably well at the end of the season. I suspect he has irritated/flared/aggravated the repair meaning he now needs to undergo a menisectomy in which part of the meniscus (C shaped cartilage on the top of your shin bone) gets cut out. The recovery from this is much… Read more »
*The most likely thing to have happened is that he tore his meniscus in the winter
It was a dark winter, maybe the darkest of winters. By the sword of meniscus, I swear this to be true.
Didn’t know wether to upvote the excellent information or down vote the fucking terrible information
I didn’t know whether to upvote that I share your dilemma or downvote that I share your dilemma
Would it help if I told you that the biggest predictor of injury is previous injury, so he is now even more likely to get injured when he returns from this surgery?
Sadly, yes
Can we get you in comment section for every injury? Or even on the blogs staff as the resident injury guy, stellar explanation of a shituation.
Il do my best to give some info on any significant injuries, although I should point out that this is speculation – I don’t have any inside info or ITK, although I’m not sure anyone is other than the medical staff as it’s all confidential
Appreciate you.
No need to panic. Eddie is more than capable of doing a job. It’s why he’s on the books.
Yes but which job? Washing the kit?
Have a day off
Ouch!
Doing a job is finishing 8th or too 4 at best – we want to challenge for titles and the CL. When Eddie played last season he helped us hold on to the lead but we could increased our lead in the same period. We’re a lacklustre team when he plays. We were lacklustre every time he played this pre-season.
If we were lackluster today it was defensively and in the build up. Eddie was good
how was eddie good bar his tap in – martinelli was the best part of our attack today – what was nketiah’s xG – how many shots on target did he have – how many shots on target or xG did he have the entire pre-season – balogun has more xG and shots on target than eddie in the few minutes he played (no starts) in pre season than eddie – eddie had 12 big chances last season and he scored 4 – balogun had 16 big chances and he scored 21 – how many goals does eddie have for… Read more »
If he’s been feeling discomfort for the last few weeks I wonder why they didn’t operate straight away, instead of waiting until 10 days before season starts.
That really sucks. I know it’s Communiy shield but I desperately want us to beat City. Or at least hang with them. It’d be a great confidence booster going into the seasons.
Well crap. I don’t care about the community shield too much, and the start of the season isn’t too tough. If Balogun is going and not an option, Nketiah and Trossard should be able to cover for a while. But United on Sept 3, Spurs the 24th and City 10/7 are a bigger worry. Hopefully this really is minor and recovery is quick. And we’re not a great position if this ends up a long-term concern.
There was a lot of debate early in the summer about whether we needed another striker (assuming Balogun is being sold), this news surely solidifies all the arguments for it. But with all the money we’ve spent and supposedly going after Raya, do we have the funds for another big purchase?
If Balogun had just kept his mouth shut and his head down this could have been his opportunity to win the 2nd striker position from Eddie. Eddie just doesn’t do it for me. I would like to see Trossard there rather.
Keep in mind Kai can play upfront too. Not ideal but he can.
Yea but would you take Kai who struggled up front for Chelsea or Balogun who did really well in Ligue 1. Martinelli/Trossard could do a job there as well. And they can interchange which is also good. I would’ve liked to have Balogun compete for that spot but there seems to be some hidden issue/agenda between him and Arteta that we’re not privy despite all of our speculations.
Don’t think it’s that hidden.
It could have even been his chance to stake his claim for the 1st striker spot, with Jesus pushed to second striker/ Saka cover.
Absolutely! There are several games up for grabs over the next two months and he could’ve played all of them, a few goals and he’d have his foot in the door.
Footballers have to make tough decisions for their careers, sometimes you get lucky in life and sometimes you don’t.
We all know what’s coming: “Super Eddie can fill the breach!”
Except he can’t.
Jesus, Jesus! How is it that we’ve collected an incredibly deep squad of high quality players yet we’re dependent on one player who has a patchy injury record and doesn’t score many goals, to be our main goal scorer.
I can’t see Trossard, Eddie, or even Havertz as anything more than backup options. Either Balogun stays or we need a new striker.
For fuckedy fuck fucks sake. Here we fucking go.
Put Trossard in the false 9 and see how many goals we get. We can cope with this for a few weeks, no worries.
So Jesus and Ziny are equivalent of us buying used italian car from the City. It is not expensive, value for money and it runs great for the first couple of months. But than it has some minor suspension problem which is esily repaired. After a few miles silent block is busted and it starts breaking more and more, and sooner than you know the car is spending more time at the mechanic than on the road. It seems city actualy knew exactly why they were willing to let us have them both. They are great but won’t run the… Read more »
Flo & Eddie!! The Turtle Line!!!
Rather than wasting £40M on another keeper, use it on a striker! So blatantly obvious we have no plan b striker.
Quite the contrast to this time a year ago, when a superlative pre-season with a fit and hungry Jesus and Zinchenko led us into an incredible start to the campaign.You have to genuinely worry whether we can stay within touching distance of the top in the early weeks while those two work their way back to match fitness, our new players bed in and we learn to cope with the absence of Xhaka. I’d like to think the Emirates atmosphere won’t be affected by a less than perfect start. This might well turn out to be a transitional season, a… Read more »
It’s true, we might have to accept a season of growing pains. Hopefully that means top 4 still and no serious dip. I don’t see that happening though. I think even if we start poorly there’s enough talent and depth for MA and co to figure it out over the season. Especially if we’re able to add another quality player. Even if that means January once he sees how the team settles.
If Balogun is not going to be given a chance, we need to bring in a top quality 9.
I love Eddie, he’s physically developed over the last 2 seasons. I think he’ll be a late bloomer. He needs a couple of full seasons to develop further. A loan to Reims? 😉
At present, if Arteta is going to be ruthless by bringing in Raya to challenge Ramsdale, we need a similar scenario up front
classic
4th place is still a trophy.
Balogun is the ready answer. If Arteta doesn’t want him, it is due to personal reasons and nothing to do with football. At the end of the season, if we fail to achieve our target, it is likely due to this decision. Can we be sure that Jesus with not have “other minor issues” with the knee and don’t forget Neketiah was also out towards the end of last season. I hope Arteta decide on football reasons and nothing else.
I think Trossard up front makes the most sense. We looked good when he played in that position previously. Not convinced with Eddie honestly. Haven’t seen enough of Balogun to make a comment.
Get Kudus
Balogun will be sold and Havertz is a LCM
It is not as catastrophic as losing him to an ACL, which is good. Hopefully, it’s as simple as removing something like scar tissue, and he’ll be back end of September. At least we have Eddie, Flo, Trossard, Kai and Martinelli as cover, and there’s still an open transfer window should the timeline extend on his recovery.
Brazilian forward with bad knees, I’ve been having nightmares about this for months now…
I really hope he’s back soon and stays fit going forward.
This will be time for Eddie to step up his game another level and prove the naysayers wrong. If he doesn’t I suppose Trossard will play the number 9 role. I don’t see Balogun being given a chance to prove if he can do it in the Premier League when every point is crucial this season.