“I think the upside of Nunez is more than Jesus” – Liverpool legend explains why he wouldn’t swap Reds forward Darwin Nunez for Arsenal superstar Gabriel Jesus

Darwin Nunez and Gabriel Jesus have had contrasting starts to their lives at their new clubs

Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has claimed that he will not swap Reds striker Darwin Nunez for Arsenal frontman Gabriel Jesus despite his fine form.

Both Arsenal and Liverpool made major additions to their attack ahead of the 2022-23 season. The Gunners signed Jesus from Manchester City for £45 million, while the Reds roped in Nunez from Benfica for an initial sum of £64 million.

Jesus has since been in fine form for the north London giants, scoring five goals and providing three assists in eight Premier League matches. His contributions have seen Mikel Arteta's side claim a place at the top of the table.

Nunez, on the other hand, has had an underwhelming start to his life on Merseyside. He has found the back of the net just once in the league so far and was notably sent off in his first top flight start for Liverpool.

Nicol, though, has insisted that he would still not exchange Nunez for Jesus, who he feels is only having a good spell. The former Reds defender also claimed that the Uruguayan has a higher ceiling than the Brazilian. He said on ESPN FC [via The Daily Express]:

“No [wouldn’t swap Nunez for Jesus], no not at all because I think the upside of Darwin Nunez is better than the upside of Jesus."

"Let’s be honest Jesus has been in the Premier League for how many years? Five? And all of a sudden, yes, he is playing great, but at the end of the day, he has had a great spell."

Nicol added:

"He did have a good spell at the end of his City career, but we are talking about a guy who has been in the Premier League for five years and who has had a good spell for the last four or five months, and yes he has been great for these eight or nine games that Arsenal have had."

"So I think the upside of Nunez is more than Jesus. He has already been in the Premier League for five years and nobody has said a word about him, all of a sudden he is a superstar is he?”

Arsenal and Liverpool lock horns on Sunday

Arsenal are scheduled to host Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday, October 9. It remains to be seen if both Jesus and Nunez will be in the starting XI for their respective teams.

The Gunners currently sit atop the league table with 21 points from eight matches. Jurgen Klopp's side, on the other hand, find themselves sitting ninth in the table with just 10 points.