‘Unbelievable’—Mikel Arteta Hints at Surprise Starter for Crystal Palace Clash

Mikel Arteta has suggested returning striker Gabriel Jesus could be in line to start Arsenal’s Carabao Cup quarterfinal clash with Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

Not since January has Jesus started a match for Arsenal, with a nasty knee injury sidelining the Brazilian striker for the majority of the calendar year before he made his return off the bench earlier this month.

With three appearances to his name, Jesus, who recently said he has “unfinished business” in north London amid talk of a move away, is inching closer to a starting role which Arteta suggested may arrive on Tuesday.

“He is [ready to start],” Arteta told his pre-match press conference. “You can see now, not only in games, every day in training, how much he wants it. He’s going to deserve a chance soon.”

Arteta insisted he had not been surprised by the sharpness shown by Jesus upon his return, adding: “I was watching when he was seven months already on the pitch and the way he was moving and how much he wanted it ... I think he wrote a beautiful letter there explaining what football means to him and how it affects his life. I think it was something beautiful.”

Arteta: Jesus Can Help Unlock Viktor Gyökeres

Gabriel Jesus spent 11 months on the sidelines. | Harry Murphy/Danehouse/Getty Images

Jesus joined Arsenal from Manchester City in the summer of 2022 and made an immediate impact, racking up a surprising number of assists and chipping in with a respectable goal return—although not enough to stop the Gunners from splashing out on both Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres over the past two years.

Gyökeres is currently struggling to live up to expectations following his £63.5 million ($85 million) switch from Sporting CP, but Arteta believes Jesus could help the Sweden international reach new heights.

“I think that’s probably the biggest quality of Gabi, bringing people together, connecting with people and generating a lot of uncertainty in the opponent,” Arteta said. “When you see him today, the amount of spaces that he was involved in, that’s his biggest quality. So we need to exploit that.

“It’s been a really intense journey I would say. I think when he joined us, I think he lifted the belief, the spirit and the energy of the club and the team. I think he gave something very different to what we already had, and it was really impressive.”

Jesus’s next appearance for Arsenal will mark his 100th for the Gunners and, if it arrives on Tuesday, could help his side in their bid to reach the Carabao Cup semifinal, where they already know a date with Chelsea is waiting.