Why Barcelona's move for Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus actually makes a lot of sense

[p]A player that would've arguably complemented their front line and taken them to new heights, not to land [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alvarez-julian/bBHauDIC/"]Alvarez[/a] would have been a bitter pill for Joan Laporta, Deco and Co. to swallow.[/p][h2]No surprise Barca have turned to Jesus to perform a miracle[/h2][p]Not to mention that leaving things so late in the window to look for a replacement would've drastically cut down their options.[/p][p]To that end, and with the greatest respect, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/barcelona/SKbpVP5K/"]Barca[/a]'s move for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gabriel-jesus/viMb6g9n/"]Gabriel Jesus[/a] shouldn't have come as a surprise.[/p][embed guid="f6a4eeaf-a379-40a1-a610-821cfaef604d" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2094042636000661647" social-type="twitter" /][p]Under normal circumstances, the Catalan club are unlikely to have gone anywhere near the injury-prone Brazilian, but needs must, and at a reported €10m fixed fee, with €4m in add-ons and a 20% sell-on clause, it's a deal that actually makes sense - at least at this point in time.[/p][p]After all, Jesus is still only 29 years of age and if - a big if - he can stay injury-free, he could become a real asset for the club.[/p][h2]Sixth-best goals output at Arsenal despite injury-ravaged Gunners career[/h2][p]In the four seasons that the striker has been at the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Gunners[/a], he's scored 32 goals and provided 17 assists in 123 appearances in all competitions, but it has to be borne in mind that he also had 13 separate injuries to deal with during those four seasons, including two bad knee problems.[/p][p]In that context, a one-in-four strike ratio isn't to be sniffed at, and only five players have scored more than Jesus since he joined the club.[/p][image alt="Gabriel Jesus - Recent career stats" id="ecc3fe1f-e85e-495e-b38c-46fab59758e8" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="8eebd580-aefb-40b1-876c-116cff9b8c7e" original-width="2160" original-height="2702" /][p]That's despite the striker playing only 5,625 cumulative minutes compared to, in some cases, 14,753 minutes ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saka-bukayo/08NLEo06/"]Bukayo Saka[/a]).[/p][p]Only two players made more than Jesus' 15 fast breaks, and he also hit the woodwork on seven occasions, which, had he scored, would've brought him within four goals of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/odegaard-martin/ID32TGhp/"]Martin Odegaard[/a], who has played 14,146 minutes for the club to date.[/p][h2]Rich pickings in LaLiga[/h2][p]In a team like Barcelona, where multiple chances are created per game, Jesus could find some rich pickings.[/p][p]There's also an element of the player still needing to prove a point given that his career over the past few years hasn't gone in quite the manner expected, specifically because of those injury concerns.[/p][embed guid="59e97195-2efe-4e9f-a6c1-4ccb99e1c7cd" url="https://x.com/premierleague/status/2006124007460937775?lang=en" social-type="twitter" /][p]That can, ultimately, benefit Barcelona as they know that the player is signing to resurrect his career rather than just plumping for a big payday.[/p][p]Given that the Catalans have always played remarkably well with a more diminutive centre-forward - taking nothing away from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lewandowski-robert/MVC8zHZD/"]Robert Lewandowski[/a], of course - this season could therefore see a marriage made in footballing heaven, if the stars align correctly.[/p][h2]Hard working[/h2][p]Jesus' 57.32% shot accuracy was topped by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/madueke-chukwunonso/Ac57P9Pt/"]Noni Madueke[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nwaneri-ethan/lxyovn2o/"]Ethan Nwaneri[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/aubameyang-pierre-emerick/Wl4EyKZk/"]Pierre-Emerick[/a] Aubameyang and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/smith-rowe-emile/fsJB9j4d/"]Emile Smith Rowe[/a], but only Aubameyang's is worthy of a direct comparison, given their respective positions and time spent on the pitch.[/p][p]What might surprise many is the player's heading ability, with 43 headed attempts at goal the second-best showing of any Arsenal player in the last five seasons. Another Gabriel - [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gabriel/tEcnVXMS/"]Magalhaes[/a] - leads the way with 79 in this regard.[/p][image alt="Gabriel Jesus - Recent player ratings" id="90c27644-0781-4898-862a-1003ed301bc3" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="923e0b16-1538-4b5c-8305-2fdf90e3be30" original-width="2160" original-height="2702" /][p]38 big chances created is a whisker away from being the best output in the squad, whilst an 81.15% pass completion is perfectly acceptable from the Brazilian.[/p][p]His defensive work has also been notable, with 85 tackles attempted during his time at the Emirates Stadium, winning 56 for a 65.88% success rate.[/p][p]1,022 duels attempted are the fifth most in the squad, though 415 won are very much on the lower end of the scale.[/p][h2]Not the South American the supporters thought they were getting[/h2][p]One might expect that Barca are simply buying Jesus to put the ball in the back of the net, as they've plenty of other players willing to put their foot in, in which case how well the 29-year-old performs in his one-on-ones will be of lesser importance to the club.[/p][p]Ultimately, although this South American isn't one the supporters thought they were getting and arguably who Barcelona would've preferred, the deal could work out in their favour even if only for a season.[/p][embed guid="0f642a41-10c2-4296-9179-cccfdb975d35" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2092931342665121889" social-type="twitter" /][p]Jesus is a signing that gives the Catalans some breathing space in the transfer market and has saved them a pretty penny in the process.[/p][p]As long as they can match their rivals in the league and in Europe, there'll be no complaints from the Camp Nou faithful.[/p][infobox id="8a8311c3-81b3-440e-8b49-36091db073d1" /]