Exclusive: Other clubs “would love” to lure away this unsung Arsenal hero

Arsenal‘s set piece coach Nicolas Jover has become a hugely important figure for manager Mikel Arteta, and Charles Watts says he can imagine other clubs being keen on luring him away.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Watts praised Jover’s impact at the Emirates Stadium after two more set-piece goals last week.

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Gabriel Magalhaes scored yet again from corners for Arsenal in wins over Sporting Lisbon and West Ham, just as he also did against Tottenham and Manchester City earlier this season, and numerous other occasions last term.

The Brazilian defender has been the main beneficiary of Arsenal’s new-found set-piece prowess, and Watts has provided some insight into how Jover has as much impact as he does.

Still, even if other clubs might be interested in Jover, Watts says he can’t imagine him being tempted to leave the Gunners.

Nicolas Jover working his magic for Arsenal again

“I did laugh when Mikel Arteta was asked in his press conference after the West Ham game about whether Nicolas Jover should be getting a goal bonus,” Watts wrote.

“That would certainly be eating into Arsenal’s profits should that be the case, given the number of goals they have been scoring from set pieces over the past couple of seasons.

“Jover’s star is certainly rising at the moment and his reputation grows stronger with every goal Arsenal score from one of his carefully constructed routines.

“I’m sure other managers or clubs would love to lure him away to take advantage of his expertise, but I can’t imagine he would be looking to go elsewhere at the moment.

“He is such a key figure in Arteta’s coaching staff and you can see how much work he puts into making the team such a threat from dead ball situations.

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“I loved the one against West Ham for Gabriel’s goal. It was just a bit different to the one that had worked so well against Sporting a few days earlier, but that made all the difference.

“Gabriel started just a bit deeper than he usually does. This time his starting point was from within the pack that always gathers beyond the far post, whereas against Sporting he started his run from a more central area and attacked the back post.

“It caught West Ham out and that allowed the Brazilian the space he needed to meet Bukayo Saka’s corner. It’s just such a potent weapon for Arsenal that works time and time again.”