Arsenal face nightmare pre-season scenario with plan B transfer after Gabriel Jesus decision – Tom Canton

The Arsenal preseason of 2022 might be the most important for many years. The Gunners suffered at the beginning of the 2021/22 season not only due to the lack of available players because of positive Covid-19 results, but a lack of integrated signings.

Takehiro Tomiyasu, Aaron Ramsdale and Martin Odegaard were all signed to Arsenal after the season had kicked off. Mikel Arteta and Edu cannot afford to repeat this grave mistake this summer and effectively restrict their season quite as they did in the last campaign.

The area of most intrigue remains the striking department. Unsurprising, when both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have now departed.

READ MORE: Gabriel Jesus to Chelsea, Youri Tielemans U-turn – Arsenal transfer failure must spark response

Most of all though because it is the superior position for excitement amongst transfer targets. A striker is seen as the most transformative for a team because if a club sign the right one, goals are sure to follow. And with goals, come points.

Gabriel Jesus is the priority this summer for the Gunners, but recent reports suggest there might be a spanner in the plan. According to The Athletic, Chelsea are monitoring the situation and should they manage to move on Romelu Lukaku or Timo Werner it’d make sense they’d seek to secure the Brazilian.

This potential of missing out on Gabriel Jesus would cause quite the knock-on effect on Arsenal’s pre-season plans. The club have been in discussions for the Man City forward’s representatives for the best part of eight months plus.

Losing their priority has historically caused issues as shown by the failure in January regarding Dusan Vlahovic. Edu and Arteta would need to assess the other potential options and seek to secure a new forward.

All the while dealing with the reality of clubs knowing how desperate they are for a forward putting the Gunners on the back foot in any potential negotiations. Made worse the seemingly obvious backup choice is hardly a similar striker to Jesus.

The 6’5 Sassuolo forward Gianluca Scamacca is being considered by the team but whilst Jesus is a possibility the Italian will remain on ice for Arsenal. But the idea of going from one striker of a technical diminutive nature to a target man like Scamacca has a feel of ‘any striker will do’ about it.

Of course, the quality needs to be right but having an alternative that contrasts so greatly with the priority forward would surely need to see preseason plans to integrate them overhauled. The style of play to suit the player could, or rather should, change.

All these points boil down to conclude that missing out on Jesus is surely a potential nightmare scenario for the club and its preseason plans. Not to mention whether any secondary option would be completed in time for the USA tour. Arsenal and transfer windows… another summer where hopefully it works out because the alternative is too frustrating to consider a reality.