"I'd be shocked if they got in the top four" - Paul Merson makes incredible claim about Arsenal and their title challenge

Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson feels that Arsenal could struggle without Gabriel Jesus and might as well fail to make it into the Premier League's top four at the end of the season.

The Gunners currently lead reigning champions Manchester City by five points at the top of the table ahead of the league's resumption on Boxing Day.

Having made their best-ever start to a Premier League season, Mikel Arteta's side look like title contenders as they aim to win their first top-flight title since the 2002-03 season.

However, Arsenal has been hit with a huge blow as Jesus has been ruled out until March with a knee injury he sustained while on international duty with Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Joining on a £45 million transfer from City in the summer, the 25-year-old has been crucial to their prolific run in the first half of the season, scoring five goals and assisting another six.

Without him leading the charge upfront for the London outfit, Merson believes it would be hard for the club to keep up with their title ambitions with an 'out-of-form' Eddie Nketiah leading the line instead.

In his column for The Daily Star, he wrote:

"I try not to read too much into friendlies but it's a massive worry for Arsenal that they're now relying on out-of-form Eddie Nketiah when the Premier League returns. They could go eight points clear if they beat West Ham before Manchester City play a game and you still wouldn't fancy them to win the title without Gabriel Jesus."

He added:

"It's hard because even though he doesn't score an awful lot of goals, he is still so effective. If he's out for three months, I'd be shocked if they got in the top four. I just don't see where the goals come from, I might be wrong."

Arsenal will play their first match post the World Cup on Monday against West Ham United at the Emirates.

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Arsenal's real test begins now

Arsenal have exceeded everyone's expectations thus far but the real test of their mettle lies in the second half of their campaign when the fixtures come in thick and fast.

In January alone, the Gunners will play Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Everton, Brentford, and Manchester City, with cup fixtures interspersed between them.

With no Jesus in the team until March, it will be interesting to see how Arteta copes without him and keeps his side in the running for the league title.