Arsenal transfer news: Gabriel Jesus January verdict delivered as Mikel Arteta's "regrets" discussed

Arsenal will find it impossible not to have "regrets" over Gabriel Jesus's injury-plagued time in North London, but selling him in January would be a mistake, Gunners expert Charles Watts has told Sports Mole.

The 28-year-old was recently in the headlines following a public plea from Palmeiras' president, who urged Jesus to "come home" to the club he learned his trade at before signing for Manchester City in 2017.

The Brazil international is still on the mend from a devastating ACL injury and is only under contract until the summer of 2027, but there is hope that he will be fit to return to first-team action just before the end of the calendar year or in early 2026.

Jesus could therefore still positively impact the Gunners' second half of the season, Watts feels, and the Arsenal aficionado would not be pushing the 28-year-old out of the door in January, where finances could also block a potential exit.

“I don’t think it's going to be the easiest sale," Watts said. "Coming off the back of multiple bad knee injuries - he's on big, big wages - there are going to be obstacles. But I would imagine next year will be the year that we see Gabriel Jesus move on, which will be a shame.

“I love Gabriel Jesus. What’s happened to him has been a real, real shame. It's a long time ago now, but the first three or four months of Gabriel Jesus were three or four of the most thrilling months of football I've seen from Arsenal. And he was front and centre of that. He absolutely transformed this team.

“It’s been such a shame to see it fizzle out the way it has because of injuries. I wouldn't sell him in January, though. I would keep him if he's fit. Certainly in the summer, that's when you let him go. But what Arsenal have done with the squad, how they've built it, it's very all in for this season.

“And Gabriel Jesus could play a part in that in the second half of the season if he's fit, even if it's just in one game or two games. That could be the difference between winning a title or not. And there's no other player in the squad who's won a Premier League title. He has that experience. He knows how to get over the line, and he could still make a difference.

Arsenal should be "doing everything" to keep Gabriel Jesus in January

“The money men at the Emirates might see differently if there's a good offer on the table and a chance to get rid of his wages, but if I was in Mikel Arteta's shoes, I'd be doing everything I could to keep every single player in this squad until the end of the season.”

Prior to his cruel cruciate ligament tear, Jesus was a man reborn around Christmastime in 2024, memorably scoring six goals in just four games as he appeared to resurrect his Arsenal career.

Jesus struck five of those against Crystal Palace alone - an EFL Cup hat-trick and Premier League brace - before also finding the back of the net away to London rivals Brentford in the top flight on New Year's Day.

The South American has been heralded for his ability to create chances on his own and cause chaos in the penalty area, offering Mikel Arteta a different dimension up front compared to target men Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz.

“Arsenal don't have another player like him," Watts added. "Even if Havertz gets fit and you've got Gyokeres, there's just a completely different option in Gabriel Jesus. When you look at how Arsenal prise open packed defences, there's probably no one better in the squad at doing that than Gabriel Jesus.

“I don't see him making a massive impact in the second half of the season if he's here, but there is a part of this story that he could still possibly write for Arsenal. He's got the quality and he's got the experience to do it as well. So I'd be keeping him.”

After a trophy-laden five-and-a-half years at Manchester City, Jesus arrived at Arsenal in 2022 following significant attacking upheaval, as the Gunners had waved goodbye to former chief strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette within six months of each other.

The 28-year-old made a seismic impact up front at the start of the 2022-23 season, scoring five goals and setting up six more in the Premier League before the Qatar World Cup, where he suffered his first of five knee injuries he has had since moving to the Emirates.

Will Arsenal have regrets over Gabriel Jesus signing?

Jesus has never been able to string a consistent run of starts together since his first few months owing to his persistent fitness problems, as he made the first XI just 17 times in the 2023-24 Premier League and on a mere six occasions last term.

Asked if Arsenal will have any regrets about bringing Jesus to the club, Watts admitted that there will be over the striker's repeated injuries, but he does not believe that the Gunners' "most transformational signing" was a transfer mistake.

“I don't think Mikel will look at it as a mistake," he added. "There’ll be regrets, but the regrets will be about the injuries. The signings at the time were exactly what Arsenal needed. It raised the floor to such a level, him and [Oleksandr] Zinchenko, that they went from possible Champions League contenders to giving themselves a good chance of a title in the space of half a season.

“He's arguably the most transformational signing that I've seen in an Arsenal team. He turned Arsenal from an okay team that was on the rise to an unbelievable team. That first half of the season was incredible. What Arsenal did, the points they picked up, the wins they got, the football they played. And Jesus was so integral to that.

“Mikel said it - he changed our world. He helped take Arsenal to another level, and they've been able to build on that ever since. He’ll look at it with regrets that he wasn't able to stay fit, because he could have made a big, big difference and maybe got Arsenal over the line for a trophy or two.

“I think he'll look at it as a positive signing that made a massive impact and changed Arsenal. But there'll definitely be regrets over the injuries. It's impossible not to have regrets when you've got such a good player who's spent most of his time on the sidelines.”

Jesus is joined on the sidelines by Martin Odegaard following the news that the captain would spend a month out with a knee issue, but Watts also explained why the Norwegian's layoff could be considered "best-case scenario" for Arsenal.