Mikel Arteta has ruled out the prospect of Gabriel Jesus leaving Arsenal in January.
The 28-year-old made his long-awaited return to first-team actions as a 62nd-minute substitute in Wednesday’s 3-0 Champions League win at Club Brugge.
Jesus had been sidelined since January after undergoing knee surgery and afterwards claimed “God saved my life” as he battled “11 months of helping myself and then feeling scared to come back different, maybe with some limitations.”
The striker faces tough competition to win back a regular starting spot, however, with €73 million ($85.6m) summer signing Viktor Gyökeres fit again and Kai Havertz nearing a return to full fitness following his own knee problem.
Without that trio, midfielder Mikel Merino has thrived as a makeshift centre-forward and the combination has led to speculation Jesus could seek a move in January in a bid to force his way into the Brazil squad for next summer’s World Cup finals.
However, speaking on Friday, Arteta was asked whether he would consider allowing Jesus, whose contract expires in the summer of 2027, to leave next month.
“No, I don’t consider that and especially with the situation we have right now,” replied Arteta. “I think Gabby has a lot to offer to the team and he is proving that straight away in the first minutes that he was available to play. He has put so much [in] to be in this position again and now the focus is to be with us.
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“A player of his quality, a player who has given us so much and when he comes with the energy he did the other day, he is certainly a player who has to be pushing and aiming [to start], that’s for sure.”
Arteta was typically guarded on his squad’s injuries, claiming Declan Rice, Jurriën Timber, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard will all be assessed before determining if they can face Wolves on Saturday.
Wolves are rock-bottom in the Premier League having picked up just two points all season and when asked how to guard against complacency, Arteta said: “By understanding that a team in that position has to react and show their teeth. |That’s a dangerous thing in this league and when every team has the quality they have. So [being complacent] is not going to happen.”