Tottenham eyeing Arsenal forward; how can he fit in at Hotspur Way under Thomas Frank – Opinion

Under the Dane head coach, the North Londoners are leaning towards playing with a sense of verticality complemented by controlled chaos (rather than all-out chaos, which was the theme at N17 under Ange Postecoglou), and Gabriel Jesus, despite his inconsistencies in front of goal, is a system-forward given how he is quite intelligent (as we have seen him in Mikel Arteta’s and Pep Guardiola’s highly tactical systems) and versatile.

Jesus can play as a mobile #9 as part of a fluid front three. Given that Thomas Frank has variations of 4-3-3 and 3-4-2-1 at Brentford to devastating effect, we do expect him to play in a similar structure at Tottenham, and this is where Jesus can fit in as a roaming number nine where he is partnered by Kudus, Tel, or Kulusevski, which gives you that sharp yet more technically agile option than his countrymanRicharlison. If I think about Richy, the thing is that where the former Everton ace thrives on the physical side of the game, Jesus thrives on movements.

The Gunners striker would be ideal to drop into the midfield pockets whilst dragging centre-backs out of shape and linking up with runners like Maddison or Kulusevski. And playing in this structure, Gabriel Jesus becomes less of a poaching presence in the lineup but more of an enabling presence, given he would be tasked to stretch defences by never standing still (very much like what he does at Arsenal when he plays).

Why is Gabriel Jesus the ideal ‘Frank forward’?

If we look at one of Gabriel Jesus’ most underappreciated traits, it is his pressing IQ, and that can be backed by the fact that during his time at Manchester City and Arsenal, the Brazilian was ranked among the Premier League’s best when it comes to pressing and tackles in the final third.

And under the incoming Dane head coach at Tottenham, pressing is a non-negotiable. And having Jesus leading the line, the 28-year-old suddenly becomes the ideal ‘first defender’ given how he smartly curves his runs to try and force mistakes. This ends up setting the pressing tone for the rest of the side.

In a way, he effectively gives Thomas Frank what Ivan Toney gave him at Brentford without needing to lead the line in a traditional sense.

And imagine that with Kudus and Tel around him, it suddenly makes up one of the best pressing front lines in the English top tier.

His interchanging capacity gives you a sense of unpredictability

Thomas Frank likes to play with a sense of unpredictability, catching his opponents by surprise but in a sustained manner. We have seen time and again how he likes his wide players cutting inside with his forwards drifting out. But Jesus ’has that ability to play across the front three, which adds a layer of tactical flexibility, which comes in handy especially against teams that defend deep or play a high line.

If Thomas Frank plays in a front three of Kudus (LW), Jesus (ST), and Kulusevski (RW), you get that fluidity in-game where suddenly you are watching those three pulling apart defences with their movements. It would be like a chessboard front line, which is full of movements and mismatch potential.

But everything is not gloomy with Gabriel Jesus; ask Arsenal fans…

The former Palmeiras striker has always lagged behind when it comes to goals. So when signing him, you have to get your expectations right; he is not your 20-goal-a-season striker, and then he has his injury problems. We have seen how his knee problems have cost Arsenal in crucial times, and if signed, Tottenham will have to manage his minutes whilst maybe thinking about complementing him with a more physical forward option.

Author Opinion

It is a classic dilemma of system and stats, given how Jesus fits the system at Hotspur Way quite ideally. The Brazilian (as we saw above) is not your killer finisher that Tottenham supporters desperately want upfront, but he surely is the type of forward that elevates everyone around him. So in a way he ends up being the glue that holds the system together. And while he has his injury problems, if Tottenham sees a way past that, he can end up being an influential player at Tottenham (if signed).