Arsenal Could Ditch Jesus For "Complete" £108m-rated Superstar
Arsenal may have already spent big this summer, but the future could hold an even bigger outlay, that will likely leave their Premier League rivals in their wake…
Is Kylian Mbappe leaving Paris Saint-Germain?
Although the report in question emerged earlier in the month, the fact that they are being linked with a swoop for Kylian Mbappe alone should act as an indicator of how far they have come under Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners' rise back to the top of English football has been meteoric, and to think it has given them the gumption to try for one of the world's greatest talents is incredible.
With the uncertainty surrounding the 24-year-old's future only having intensified since that earlier claim, it could be argued that the possibility of this move has never been greater.
That being said, his €126.4m (£108m) Football Transfers valuation does pose a great stumbling block, which could suggest Edu will be forced to play the long game as the forward runs down his contract.
How many goals has Kylian Mbappe scored in his career?
It seems like for all the hype that the combination of Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi promised, it has fallen completely flat given their failure to challenge in the Champions League.
However, brushing aside the excitement that such a trio first offered, it was quite clearly fundamentally flawed from the start.
Not a single one of these world stars are particularly renowned for their defensive work rate, meaning that the Parisian giants were essentially "carrying" those three men, as per pundit Jamie Carragher. Should they fail to score, they would always be left woefully outmatched at the back, whilst no pressing structure could be feasibly implemented.
It was doomed from the start.
However, extracting Mbappe and placing him alone in a squad full of hard workers would change that dynamic dramatically. No longer would his presence provide a huge burden, as he would be just one work-shy man. His goalscoring and creativity more than makeup for his lack of effort, with his quality likely to displace Gabriel Jesus in order to maintain the system.
Should he make the Emirates switch and become that focal point, the France international would benefit from the exploits of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli beside him.
The former posted 1.7 tackles per game last season in the Premier League, whilst his Brazilian teammate recorded 0.9 per game. This foundation would allow the former AS Monaco man to truly shine, and translate his incredible numbers into the English game.
After all, just last campaign saw him record 41 goals across just 43 games in all competitions, not to mention the ten assists he posted too. In increasing his proficiency in front of goal, he did mark a slight decrease on the 55 goal contributions he managed during the 2021/22 season.
There are few on the planet who can compete with his clinical, creative, incisive play style; not least Jesus, who showcased his profligacy during his debut year in north London.
His 11 goals in the league were marred by his 14.16 expected goals tally, outlining his disappointing 14% goal conversion, via Sofascore. Mbappe's 29 goals most recently in Ligue 1 came from just 26.30 expected goals, to emphasise his lethal nature even further.
Whilst the former Manchester City man was squandering chances, Mbappe has instead been lauded already as one of the greats. Just last year saw him praised by Carlo Ancelotti, who noted: "Mbappe is the best player in European football. Mbappe is unstoppable, we have tried to control him. [Eder] Militao has done very well, but he is a player who always invents something."
With 244 career goals to his name at just 24 years old, and plenty more to come from a career that promises much, perhaps he could truly reach his peak in north London, usurping Jesus with ease.