Emmanuel Petit urges Arsenal to sign 19-year-old PL star, believes signing could help unlock Gabriel Jesus' full potential

Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit has urged the Gunners to sign Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson.

The north London side have arguably missed a proper No. 9 in a while now. While they have Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah, the duo have often been criticised by fans and pundits for their lack of clinical edge. Moreover, the former has had to deal with numerous injury issues during his time at the Emirates.

Hence, many pundits have urged Arsenal to sign a new striker in recent weeks. Sharing his take on the situation, Petit heaped praise on Jesus' work rate but critiqued his finishing ability. He reckons signing someone like Evan Ferguson could perhaps help the Brazilian get better, as he said (via Football.London):

“Gabriel Jesus always gives his all, but he always lacks the coolness in front of the opposing goal.Maybe a well-known newcomer would somehow give him wings.

"Evan Ferguson would prevail because of his effectiveness and his coolness.”

Ferguson has impressed at the highest level despite being just 19 years old. He has scored six goals and provided two assists in 31 appearances across competitions for Brighton this season, having started just 16 of those games. However, he is contracted with the Seagulls until 2029 and will certainly not come cheap.

Jesus, meanwhile, has scored eight goals and provided five assists in 23 games across competitions for Arsenal this season.

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Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Jesus injury update before Sheffield vs Arsenal

The Gunners are set to face Premier League's bottom-placed side Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Monday, March 4. Ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta was asked about the fitness of Gabriel Jesus. He answered:

"He’s fit enough. How long he will last that’s something different. We didn’t want to take any risks after the result we had against Newcastle. We need him fit, he’s a massive player for us and now we want to make sure we load him in the right way."

Jesus has suffered from multiple injury issues this season and was recently out due to a knee injury. He returned to the bench in Arsenal's 4-1 win over Newcastle United last week but didn't feature in the game.

He could get some playing time against Sheffield as the Gunners look to continue their Premier League title challenge. They are two points behind leaders Liverpool and one behind Manchester City.