Jesus in, Kante next: Arsenal gunning for Premier League title
Stuart Telford
- 11 Jul 2022 13:30 BST
- 4 min read
Arsenal mean business this transfer window having already signed Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City and now chasing Chelsea's N'Golo Kante. Could they win the Premier League?
It has been quite some time since Arsenal were in that kind of conversation - 18 long years and counting since the Gunners lifted the title, going 38 games undefeated in their Invincible season in 2004.
Also champions in 1998 and 2002 under Arsene Wenger, the Frenchman's 22-year tenure at Arsenal can now be reasonably split into two halves: the first as a Premier League favourite; the second as a club content with Champions League qualification as they looked to fund a move from Highbury to the Emirates.
Wenger also led Arsenal to a runners-up finish in 2016 - the season Leicester shocked English football with Kante in their ranks - but the secret sauce ultimately eluded him, as it did subsequent managers Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta.
But could that be about to change?
Arsenal's summer rebuild
Jesus is a marquee signing for the club. The Brazil international arrives from Manchester City as the owner of 95 goals and 46 assists in 236 games with Pep Guardiola's side, as well as four Premier League titles. He knows how to win, and he evidently hasn't lost his scoring touch either, hitting a brace in his friendly debut against Nuremberg.
As well as acquiring Jesus for £45m (€53m), Arsenal have also strengthened their squad with the signings of Portuguese attacking midfielder Fabio Vieira from Porto for €40m, USA goalkeeper Matt Turner from New England Revolution for a potential €10m, as well as Brazilian youth international winger Marquinhos from Sao Paulo.
It took Gabriel Jesus just two minutes to score his first goal for Arsenal. pic.twitter.com/nhOEziMKWa
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) July 8, 2022
And the transfer merry-go-round shows no sign of slowing in North London. Lyon's Lucas Paqueta has been linked, as has Kante, with the Daily Star reporting that Arsenal are ready to make a shock bid.
"Mikel Arteta wants more world-class defensive talent in his midfield ranks as he looks to improve on Arsenal's fifth-place finish last term," they write. "And with Kante's contract running down, Arsenal are ready to sound out whether Chelsea will cash in now."
Chelsea have been linked with a move for Portugal midfielder Matheus Nunes from Sporting Lisbon, meanwhile, as well as a late bid to snatch Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong from under Manchester United's noses, adding further fuel to the fire that Kante might be available.
How strong would Arsenal be?
Kante was a cornerstone of that Leicester team in 2016, and he proved that Premier League title win was no fluke on a personal level when he lifted the very same trophy as a Chelsea player the following season.
Whilst his injury record was called into question last season, Kante still featured in 42 games in all competitions for Chelsea, and ended the campaign in the 90th percentile or better for assists, progressive passes, progressive carries and dribbles completed - not bad for a "defensive" midfielder!
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Kante is ranked at €28 million by Football Transfers' in-house algorithm, so the net spend on him and Jesus could reach north of €80m. But as well as strengthening Arsenal, it would also weaken two of their rivals in Chelsea and City.
The squad around them - Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Eddie Nketiah et al - also have the best of their careers still ahead of them.
Arsenal may not win the Premier League title next season, but they are giving themselves a fighting chance with their summer transfer targets.
