Chelsea have been left haunted by the decision not to pursue Gabriel Jesus last summer. The Blues had the chance to sign the Brazilian striker but Thomas Tuchel opted against a deal and London rivals Arsenal have benefited hugely.
Todd Boehly spent around £270million on new signings in his first window as owner of Chelsea. Big fees were splashed on defensive recruits such as Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly.
But despite sending Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan on loan, there was a lack of focus on spending big in attack. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s arrival on deadline day almost seemed an afterthought by the Blues.
Chelsea spent over £300m in the January transfer window but still didn’t sign an out-and-out No 9. It could have been so different if Tuchel gave the green light to a deal for Jesus.
The Guardian reports that there was surprise at Chelsea that Tuchel rejected the chance to sign Jesus. Arsenal, without the Champions League football that Chelsea could boast, snuck in and signed the 26-year-old.
Jesus’ agent has since said Chelsea made a last-ditched attempt to sign him but the decision had already been made for him to sign for Arsenal. Chelsea moved too late and are now regretting that decision.
Jesus has hardly been prolific for Arsenal, scoring 11 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign. But despite only being the fourth-top scorer for the Gunners, that tally of 11 would have made him Chelsea’s leading marksman.
Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz both scored nine goals, with the next-best scorer at the club on as low as four. It has been a horror season for Chelsea but there is no doubt Jesus would have made a difference had he joined.
He missed 12 league matches due to the knee injury he picked up at the World Cup, to make his tally of 11 goals in 26 league games more impressive. Arsenal benefited from not only his quality on the pitch but his experience of being a prolific winner at City.
Jesus, alongside Oleksandr Zinchenko, transformed how Arsenal played in the first half of the season. Mikel Arteta’s side were able to carry that momentum throughout his injury absence.
Ultimately they fell short in their quest to win a first title in 19 years. But Jesus’ impact was immeasurable.
He may never be as prolific in front of goal as the likes of Erling Haaland or Harry Kane. But Chelsea have been left haunted by what has proven to be a mistake by former boss Tuchel.
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