Last night was an evening to forget for Arsenal, as Mikel Arteta’s side fell to their first defeat of the season, losing 2-0 to Bournemouth in the Premier League.
The Gunners were restricted in their attempts after William Saliba’s red card in the first half after being judged to have pulled down Evanilson whilst the Brazilian was through on goal after a misplaced pass by Leandro Trossard.
Second-half goals from Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert secured the victory for the Cherries, with Arteta’s men unable to trouble the hosts after the early sending-off of the French centre-back.
His dismissal will see him miss the crucial clash with fellow Premier League title challengers Liverpool – potentially having a huge impact on the club’s ambitions of ending their two-decade wait for a league triumph.
The attacking options had to be sacrificed as a result of Saliba’s sending-off, with Raheem Sterling replaced by Jakub Kiwior just 37 minutes into his second league start of his loan move in North London.
One other player was brought on in the second half but failed to have a huge impact on the encounter, subsequently unable to transform his early season form at the Emirates.
Gabriel Jesus’ stats in 2024/25
After registering just four league goals in the entirety of last season, this season presented a fresh opportunity for Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus to demonstrate his quality whilst helping the club try to end their wait for a title.
However, the 27-year-old, who cost Arteta’s side £45m in the summer of 2022, has already featured nine times under the Spaniard in all competitions – but he’s yet to get himself off the mark – dropping behind the likes of Kai Havertz and Trossard in the pecking order.
Jesus has only started one game in the league, featuring for a total of just 89 minutes, unable to find the back of the net, in comparison to his fellow attacking talents, with Trossard and Havertz both scoring two and six goals respectively this campaign.
His knee injury from last season may potentially be having an impact on his lack of form, with Arteta managing his fitness, but he’s yet to impress in the minutes he has been given on the pitch.
He’s only completed 90 minutes once in the new campaign, coming against League One side Bolton Wanderers, failing to get himself on the scoresheet, further highlighting his poor start to the new season.
The Brazilian has subsequently been outscored by one former Gunner, who’d undoubtedly be a phenomenal first-team player for the club, potentially a better option than the aforementioned Jesus.
The former Gunner who’s outscored Jesus this season
During the summer of 2023, Arsenal underwent a huge transformation with numerous incomings and outgoings to help bolster the squad and give the North London outfit the best chance of being a success in the Premier League.
Declan Rice arrived in a club-record deal of £105m from West Ham United, joining alongside Dutch international Jurrien Timber who had to wait until this season to make an impact on the first-team after suffering an ACL injury on his debut.
However, departures played a significant part in the aforementioned arrivals, raising the funds needed to allow for the huge investment during the transfer window.
Various fringe players such as Matt Turner, Auston Trusty, and Pablo Mari all departed the club for pastures new, whilst also having the opportunity to gain regular first-team minutes elsewhere.
Another player who departed the Emirates during the same window was striker Folarin Balogun, who left the club after 13 years in North London, joining Ligue 1 side Monaco for a fee in the region of £35m.
The 23-year-old enjoyed a successful first season with Adolf Hutter’s side, registering 13 goal contributions in all competitions – continuing his excellent form into the 2024/25 campaign.
Balogun, who’s previously been dubbed as “special” by podcast host Adam Keys, has already registered three goals in Ligue 1, outscoring current Gunners stars Jesus (zero) and Bukayo Saka (two) at league level so far during the current season.
Whilst £35m was an excellent fee to receive at the time, a couple of years on, it may have been a transfer that was too cheap – especially considering the comparisons to one of Europe’s top talents given Balogun’s recent form.
Why Balogun has been compared to Mbappé
French international Kylian Mbappé has been one of the leading talents in European football over the last couple of years, starring in Ligue 1 and the Champions League for PSG.
The winger joined the club back in the summer of 2018 for a staggering £166m, becoming a real star during his time in the French capital.
He notched a total of 235 goals in 264 games for the Parisians before leaving to join Spanish side Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer – looking to take his already successful career to the next level, potentially winning major honours such as the Champions League for the first time.
However, the 25-year-old registered a total of 27 league goals last season, with former Gunner Balogun named as a similar player to the talent as per FBref.
When analysing their respective stats from the 2023/24 campaign, the comparison is understandable, with the former Arsenal youngster matching or even bettering Mbappé in certain areas.
Games played
29
29
Goals & assists
12
34
Shot-on-target accuracy
42%
44%
Aerials won per 90
0.4
0.08
Shot-creating actions per 90
3.3
4
Progressive passes received per 90
11
11
Whilst Balogun was massively outscored, he was only narrowly outperformed in terms of shot-on-target accuracy, whilst winning more aerial battles per 90 last season.
The American international also registered the same number of progressive passes received in Ligue 1 last season, being handed countless opportunities by his teammates – undoubtedly contributing to his goal tally in the 2023/24 campaign.
Given the youngster’s recent form in France along with his recent comparisons to some of the best talents in Europe, there may be an ounce of regret in allowing the striker to depart the club.
However, for now, at the very least, the Gunners will have to sit back and watch him thrive, potentially continuing to outperform current striker Jesus – further highlighting their mistake in offloading him last summer.
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