With the enforced break in football fixtures, attention has swiftly turned back to transfers. Reports in recent weeks have consistently linked Gabriel Jesus with a move away from the Etihad Stadium, with Italy his likely destination.
Juventus, in particular, are said to be big fans of the City striker, and there have been claims that the player would be prepared to leave if the right offer was made.
From the Manchester club’s point of view, though, they must fight tooth and nail to keep Jesus for the long term. The Brazilian does have his critics, with the forward not always a consistent finisher in front of goal.
However, with Sergio Aguero turning 32 in just two months time, letting go his potential successor when he is about to hit the peak years of his career just doesn’t make any sense.
Jesus only turned 23 at the start of this month, but he has already shown, despite his young age, that he could become a truly world-class striker in the not too distant future.
He scored 17 goals in his first full season at City and followed that up by bagging 21 in the 2018/19 campaign. He has hit 18 this season, despite being in and out of the starting eleven, and if the campaign does resume, there is every chance this will be his most prolific season in front of goal.
Certainly, Jesus has had to be patient with Aguero still delivering the type of performances that have made him a legend at the club, but the Brazilian international should know his teammate is nearing the end of his career at the highest level.
With that being the case, you would hope that he will look to stick around and make sure he is ready to step up to the plate when Aguero decides it is time to return to Argentina.
Looking at the stats, Jesus is clearly ready to take on the mantle. According to Wyscout, the Brazilian averages more shots on target (53.5% to 42.9%) this season than the Argentinian, while he isn’t far behind in terms of goals per 90 minutes (0.67 to Aguero’s 0.96)
Considering how long he has been Aguero’s understudy, the 23-year-old deserves his chance to be the number nine, and hopefully, City do not look to cash in on the player this summer.
