Everton need a big summer, and one of the club’s targets has the seal of approval from Mikel Arteta.
A number of positions are on the agenda for the Toffees ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
And it’s thought that a new striker will be somewhere near the top of that agenda, after there was criticism for both Thierno Barry and Beto last term.
If you were Angus Kinnear who would you be going all out for this summer? 💰
They scored 17 between them. But there was stages where neither were amongst the goals, and the feeling is that Everton need someone who is more clinical.
And one man who could potentially come in and do a job is Gabriel Jesus, who has found the net many times against the Toffees in his career.
Mikel Arteta is a big fan of Gabriel Jesus
It has been claimed that Everton have been closely monitoring Gabriel Jesus who only has a year left on his contract at Arsenal.
The Brazilian has been at the Emirates since the summer of 2022, and has scored 32 goals in 123 games for the Gunners.
In recent times, minutes have been harder to come by for him, with Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres both ahead of him in the pecking order.
He’s also had more injury problems.
But Mikel Arteta has still seen him as an important player.
He said last Christmas after Arsenal swept past Club Brugge in the Champions League, with Jesus returning after almost a year out injured (via Football Fancast): “It’s been a very, very difficult and long journey for Gabi.
“For 11 months, he’s been fighting against another very difficult injury and to see him back with that smile, with that energy and with that quality in his first performance back with us is really impressive and we’re all delighted for him. You can see how much we love him!
“I think he brings something else, and I was really happy to see that and for him as well, for his confidence to grow, for his teammates to feel him as well because some of them haven’t played with him. So, Gabby has a really special quality where he suddenly connects everybody around him and that’s something that we as a team need and it will make us better.”
There are certainly some pros to signing Jesus.
He has now been in the Premier League since 2017, scoring 79 goals in 243 games in the competition. He has also made an impressive 45 assists.
Everton need a transfer budget of at least _________ this summer
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That creativity could go a long way in Everton’s final third.
But the drawback would be his injury record. Prior to his big knee injury, Jesus has had plenty of niggles during his career, so he perhaps wouldn’t be wholly available.
But since he’s only got a year left, perhaps there’s a deal to be done here.
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