“He Has Consistently Been Underperforming” – Alan Shearer Slams Arsenal Star’s Finishing Ability

“He Has Consistently Been Underperforming” – Alan Shearer Slams Arsenal Star’s Finishing Ability

BBC pundit Alan Shearer has criticised Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus for his poor finishing.

Writing in his column for The Athletic, the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer singled out a gilt-edged chance that Jesus missed in the North London derby last month, claiming it typifies the Brazilian’s inconsistency in front of goal:


“This is another example of leaning back for a shot; Jesus’ body and technique are all wrong. Without wishing to pick on him, he has consistently been underperforming his xG over the past few years, which tells you he’s getting into good positions and isn’t finishing them. Exhibit A right here.”

Questions have often been asked about Jesus’s finishing and Shearer’s point about the player’s xG numbers is hard to argue against.

Jesus has only outperformed xG in 1 season since arriving in England

Here is a breakdown of the Brazilian’s xG numbers from 2017 onwards. In his first full season at Manchester City, the forward underperformed (-0.8).

In 2018/19 and 2019/20, that trend continued (-4.2 in both seasons). There was, though, a noticeable improvement in 2020/21 (+0.3) before a subsequent decline in his last year at the Etihad (-1.8).

Since moving to the Emirates, Jesus has struggled to find a clinical edge. Last campaign he underperformed by -3.0, while things have improved slightly at the start of this season (-0.5).

Are Arsenal looking to replace Jesus?

The 26-year-old’s poor finishing has prompted speculation from pundits and fans that a replacement could be brought in during the January transfer window.

Both Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen have been linked but it should be pointed out that Shearer’s colleague at The Athletic, David Ornstein, has played down the likelihood that the Gunners will bring in another striker.

For the time being, it appears manager Mikel Arteta will place his trust in Jesus and his understudy Eddie Nketiah to supply the goals.

Was the Arsenal v City match a title decider? Watch a recap of Gameweek 8 in the Premier League on Shots! TV here

David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.