Alan Shearer names Arsenal star who is ‘consistently underperforming’

Arsenal have made a strong start to the 2023-24 campaign and are unbeaten from their opening eight Premier League games, winning six of them. But despite their impressive form, legendary Premier League striker Alan Shearer admits he has been disappointed with Gunners forward Gabriel Jesus.

Jesus, who moved to the Emirates in the summer of 2022 for £45m, has registered just three goals across nine appearances this season. Arsenal have scored the least goals of any club inside the current top six in the top-flight table, which has seen the north Londoners linked with Ivan Toney.

Shearer’s Criticism of Jesus

Speaking to The Athletic, Shearer said: ‘Without wishing to pick on him, he has consistently been underperforming his xG over the past few years. Exhibit A right here [in the 2-2 draw against Tottenham]. Jesus does really well to anticipate the pass and nabs the ball from James Maddison’s toes. It leaves him in an ideal position in the middle of the goal, with space around him and the choice of aiming either side.’

Shearer then went on to explain why Jesus’ technique was wrong: ‘He goes with the option of hitting his shot with the front of his foot, which is fine; it’s something I used to do a lot of the time. He also goes for power and there’s nothing wrong with that either because power shouldn’t take away from your accuracy. I always felt that if I picked my spot and got my shot away, then the harder I hit it, the harder it would be for the ’keeper to stop it. A load of my goals were struck firmly and weren’t more difficult to control. But this is another example of leaning back for a shot; Jesus’ body and technique are all wrong.’

Jesus’ Struggles at Arsenal

Jesus’ struggles at Arsenal have been well documented this season. He has failed to live up to expectations since his move from Manchester City, and his lack of goals has been a major concern for Mikel Arteta’s side. With Arsenal linked with Ivan Toney, it remains to be seen whether Jesus will be able to turn his fortunes around or if he will be replaced by a new signing.

It is clear that Jesus needs to improve his technique if he is to be successful at Arsenal. With Shearer’s criticism in mind, it will be interesting to see if Jesus can make the necessary adjustments and become a key player for the Gunners.

Conclusion

Arsenal have made a strong start to the 2023-24 season, but Alan Shearer has identified one player who he feels is ‘consistently underperforming’ since he joined the club last year. Shearer has criticised Gabriel Jesus’ technique and believes that he needs to make some adjustments if he is to become a key player for Arsenal. It remains to be seen whether Jesus can make the necessary changes and become a success at the Emirates.