Sir Keir Starmer lauds Arsenal star who ‘wins balls he shouldn’t get anywhere near’

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Labour leader and Arsenal fan Sir Keir Starmer has given his verdict on Gunners forward Gabriel Jesus as he shared his hopes for the January transfer window.

The politician, speaking on talkSPORT, says the Arsenal striker doesn’t score enough goals, even though he “wins balls he shouldn’t get anywhere near”.

Starmer also feels the Gunners could do with “one or two extra players” in the squad, particularly at centre-forward.

Jesus has been receiving criticism for his lack of clinical edge in front of goal this season, failing to put away some great opportunities over the past few months.

The £45million man has been great for Arsenal overall and has been instrumental in their return to the upper echelons of the league.

Jesus is great on and off the ball and is strong, unselfish and brings his teammates into play. However, putting the ball into the back of the net isn’t his strong point.

Gabriel Jesus ‘great but he doesn’t score enough goals’

Starmer, on talkSPORT ahead of Arsenal’s win over Crystal Palace, also spoke about the links between Arsenal and Ivan Toney, and he feels it’s not a realistic signing to pull off this month.

“My feeling is it probably won’t happen,” he said.

“But the squad Arteta has got there… that’s the best squad I’ve seen in a long time and I’ve seen a lot of Arsenal football for many years. It’s a great squad.

“It’s about confidence and one or two extra players, especially that striker role.

“Jesus is great but he doesn’t score enough goals. But he wins balls he shouldn’t get anywhere near.”

There’s no doubt that Arsenal are far from the finished product, and while Jesus is an outstanding player, signing an out-and-out striker is a must for the Gunners in 2024.

Admittedly, it’s much easier said than done. Prolific strikers are arguably the most sought-after players in the industry and competition for them will be fierce.

Add to that FFP constraints and the fact most clubs don’t want to lose their main sources of goals mid-season, and you’ve got a scenario in which a top striker moving clubs isn’t likely.