Micah Richards believes Gabriel Jesus ' injury has "killed" Arsenal 's Premier League title hopes.
The Gunners are aiming to go one better than last season, when they surprised many to finish second. Mikel Arteta has spent £200m on new recruits but the loss of a key man in Jesus in the final third is a massive blow after he was injured in a recent pre-season friendly.
The Brazilian had an instant impact last term after arriving from Manchester City 12 months ago. His eye for goal coupled with his link-up play took the Gunners to another level and he was missed at times last term, after sustaining an injury at the World Cup with Brazil.
Arteta has been dealt the unfortunate blow once more and with a lack of depth in the final third, Richards is now sceptical about their chances. He told the BBC : “I was close to picking Arsenal to win the title this season, because no team has ever won it four years in a row. But, they are without Gabriel Jesus at the start of the season and I think that is just going to kill them.”
Arsenal are hopeful that Jesus' injury isn't as bad as first feared and he could return sooner rather than later. Last term Eddie Nketiah was the Brazilian's understudy, but beyond that there is little cover in terms of out-and-out strikers with Folarin Balogun potentially leaving the club.
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Arteta admitted in the immediate aftermath of Jesus' injury news: "Yeah, it's a big blow because we had him back to his best, especially with the way he played against Barcelona, and he was in good condition, and we've lost him. He's been feeling some discomfort in the last few weeks, we had to look at it and we had to make a decision and the best one is to protect the player and get him back as quickly as possible, so we decided to do it."
Gabriel Jesus was missing for a lengthy period last term (Getty Images)Last term Leandro Trossard, who was a January recruit from Brighton, played as a false nine whilst Gabriel Martinelli too could play centrally. Arteta said on the possible solutions: "We have other options to play with different qualities of players, so we will adapt."
Kai Havertz has also arrived from Chelsea this summer and he's been known to play as a false 9, which is another option for Arsenal, who begin their campaign at home to Nottingham Forest. They also take on Crystal Palace and Fulham in the opening weeks.
Arsenal failed to land any silverware last term despite exceeding expectations. Their impressive campaign though means they will also return to the Champions League, leaving Arteta to juggle his resources across four different competitions.
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