Paul Merson urges Arsenal to sign Cody Gakpo – even if he costs £100m

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Paul Merson has urged Arsenal to sign PSV Eindhoven and Netherlands star Cody Gakpo following Gabriel Jesus’ injury.

The Brazilian hurt his knee in the World Cup game against Cameroon last week. Scans revealed he had suffered a meniscus and a partial collateral ligament injury, and that’s set to keep him out of action for about three months.

Arsenal need a replacement now, and Merson believes Gakpo is the one.

Paul Merson urges Arsenal to sign Cody Gakpo – even if he costs £100m

Eddie Nketiah is Arsenal’s alternative to Gabriel Jesus up top.

The Englishman is a quality player, but Merson believes he’s just not good enough to be the Gunners’ main man for the next two or three months – until Jesus is back.

As a result, the pundit thinks Arteta and Edu simply have to dive into the transfer market for a new striker. He believes there’s no better option available than Gakpo – not even Atletico Madrid superstar Joao Felix.

Merson told The Daily Express: “Arsenal have got to go and get Cody Gakpo after Gabriel Jesus’ knee injury. They’ve got to go and get someone. They’ve got a free swing.

“If he (Jesus) is out for up to three months as some reports suggest, they will be out of the top four, let alone the Premier League title race. They need to go and get someone.

“This is the first time since 2004 that they’ve had a serious, serious chance of winning the title. If they carry on doing what they’re doing they’ll get in the top four and they would get all of their money back anyway from qualifying for the Champions League.

“I’d get Gakpo, he’s lively and scores goals. I would take him over Joao Felix, all day long. It doesn’t matter if it costs £100 million. You get this chance once in a blue moon.”

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Gakpo has been absolutely outstanding since the start of this season.

The Dutchman has scored 18 goals and provided 18 assists for club and country, and he’s one of the biggest reasons why the Netherlands are in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Although not a natural striker, Gakpo can play there. He’s hugely versatile and is more than capable of performing anywhere in attack and also in the number 10 role.

That makes him a really attractive option for clubs, and he’d be a fine signing for Arsenal. However, the Gunners will have to break the bank to get him in January.