Arsenal’s centre-forward position has been far from stable in recent years, and change could be on the horizon.
The Gunners were going through a rough patch despite having Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the line at his devastating best, whilst Alexandre Lacazette often flattered to deceive in his five years at the club.
Mikel Arteta then brought Gabriel Jesus in from Manchester City, and he thought he had finally solved the ‘number nine curse’ at Arsenal as the Brazilian oozed class in his first few months at the club.
However, injuries and inconsistent form have curtailed his progress, and it recently emerged that Arsenal may listen to offers for him. We then revealed that there is still every possibility that he stays at Arsenal, given the lack of options in the market.
In recent months, Jesus has been eclipsed as a centre-forward by Kai Havertz, and whilst the two have played well together, with the Brazilian on the wing, Havertz has brought another dimension to the centre-forward role.
Kai Havertz has finished his chances better than Gabriel Jesus
The Athletic have now highlighted several stats which emphasise how Havertz has finished off his opportunities in front of goal better than Jesus has.
“Havertz’s shot conversion (including blocks) is 21 per cent. Jesus’ is just seven per cent. That could be explained by Jesus taking on more speculative shots,” they reported.
“This can’t: Havertz has taken 48 per cent of his big chances; Jesus only 30 per cent. The data shows Jesus is getting fewer chances than he did last season, and is finishing more erratically.”
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Kai Havertz Arsenal goal record compared to Gabriel Jesus
Jesus has overall been a strong performer for Arsenal, but his finishing is a self-admitted weak point of his, and he has scored 19 times in 66 games for the club.
Havertz has already managed 13 goals this season, but when comparing goals by minutes played, Jesus nets a goal in every 222 minutes of play on average, whilst Havertz is still at a rate of a goal per every 276 minutes.
Jesus could still be of major usefulness to Arsenal as a winger, whilst Havertz is definitely better upfront than in midfield. However, it is now clear who Arteta will turn to when selecting a more reliable finisher upfront.