Arsenal’s recent reported interest in Raheem Sterling means that Mikel Arteta could complete a double-deal with Manchester City for a bargain fee.
The Gunners have also been heavily linked to Gabriel Jesus.
According to Italian news outlet Calciomercato, Arteta would like Sterling to join Arsenal this summer.
The Gunners are hot on the tail for Jesus, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.
Both players contracts are set to expire with Manchester City at the end of the 2022/2023 season.
To prevent losing both players on a free transfer, City could desperately try to both players in the summer in the hopes of raising some funds, which is an issue that Arteta should certainly look to exploit.
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It is imperative that Arsenal sign multiple forwards in the summer due to Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah’s likely departures, as their contracts are set to expire at the end of the campaign.
A deal for Sterling would certainly be favourable due to Arteta having a good understanding of the player.
Sterling will also have a slight idea about the way the Spaniard likes his team to set up and what he expects from his players.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano in October of last year, this could be Arteta’s thinking.
“It’s true, Arsenal would love to have him. Mikel Arteta is in love, he is convinced he would be perfect. Man City wants more than £50 million.”
The 26-year-old has scored more than 100 goals during his six-year career at Man City, whilst playing an important role in their most recent Premier League title success.
This is similar to Jesus, who can play across any position in attack, making his versatility an attractive trait for the Gunners.
Arteta and the Brazilian international have worked together before during the Spaniard’s three-year tenure at the club as one of Guardiola’s coaching staff.
This adds another incentive to secure his signature and improve the forward line ahead of next season.
During Jesus‘ time with Arteta, the Brazilian played 6931 minutes, and he managed to score 55 goals.
This meant that his goals per 90 minutes reached an average of 0.71.
This record is better than when Arteta left City because, without the Spaniard, Jesus has played 6850 minutes and scored 39 goals which means he reached an average of 0.51 goals per game.
Jesus had a 39% goal improvement when Arteta was coaching him, and it is certainly a relationship the pair could rekindle if the Brazilian decides to join the Gunners at the end of the season.
The signing of Jesus would certainly be an excellent acquisition for the Gunners.
Sterling and Jesus have both shown their quality in the Premier League for the past few seasons.
Signing both players on a cut-price deal will certainly help to enhance Arteta’s attack.