I was like Gabriel Jesus at Arsenal, but they need different striker to beat Liverpool to Premier League👇

 

Arsenal are in the mix to land a first Premier League title in 20 years but according to one former striker, they are missing a key ingredient.

Mikel Arteta’s side sit in second position, one point behind leaders Liverpool as the race for this season’s crown moves into the critical festive period.

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Arsenal are facing a critical Christmas period and a good run of results in tricky circumstances could be the catalyst for a new-year title charge

Arsenal have four league fixtures remaining in December which will serve as a huge test of their title credentials.

Brighton visit the Emirates Stadium on Sunday before a mouthwatering trip to Liverpool precedes fixtures against West Ham and Fulham.

Things could be looking rosy for Arteta’s side at the turn of the year but former striker Emmanuel Adebayor believes the north London side require a penalty box predator to help end their title drought.

“The problem with Arsenal is that even with me when I was there, I loved to play in the middle and be part of the game. They have the same thing with [Gabriel] Jesus,” Adebayor told talkSPORT.

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“He also likes to come for the ball and play the ball and to win the league, they need a striker that can just be in front of the goal, who doesn’t care how many touches of the ball he has during the game.”

Jesus has endured a challenging first 18 months at the Emirates with injuries playing havoc with his availability.

The Brazilian has netted six goals in his 14 appearances this term but only two have come in the Premier League, something Adebayor believes could hamper Arsenal’s title ambitions.

“Since Jesus came back [from injury] he’s not been the same,” he added. “They need a striker that doesn’t care about coming out to be a part of the game. Someone who just cares about finishing like [Erling] Haaland, like [Sergio] Aguero.

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Gabriel Jesus' contributions have not gone unnoticed but Adebayor believes the Gunners need a different mould of striker to fire them to the titleCredit: Getty

Second-choice striker Eddie Nketiah has emerged as the club’s top scorer in the league with five goals alongside Bukayo Saka.

The Gunners have created a tendency to share the goals while providing a much varied goal threat.

Piers Morgan insists Arsenal's priority in the transfer window should be 'a world class striker' and doesn't believe Gabriel Jesus will fire club to major trophies

The same cannot be said for Manchester City who despite trailing Arsenal by three points, boast the prolific Haaland who has already registered 14 league goals.

Similarly, Mohamed Salah has netted 11 times for Liverpool, firing them to the Premier League summit.

But question marks remain over the fitness of Jesus and whether he can produce a consistent enough goal threat to fire Arsenal to this season’s title.