Gabriel Jesus slams critics for questioning his goalscoring record

• Gabriel Jesus has scored four goals in four Champions League matches
• The Brazilian forward netted in Arsenal’s 6-0 demolition of Lens on Wednesday
• Sir Jim Ratcliffe could be Erik ten Hag’s biggest threat – Listen to why on It’s All Kicking Off 

Gabriel Jesus has lashed out at critics who have questioned his goalscoring abilities, saying he ‘doesn’t care’ about speculation linking Arsenal to other strikers.

The Brazilian scored last night in the Gunners’ 6-0 thrashing of Lens to take his Champions League goal tally to four goals in four matches, and seal a last-16 spot for the north London club.

Yet Arsenal have been reported as looking for a striker in the January transfer window.

Brentford’s Ivan Toney has been strongly touted, as well as Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez.

But Jesus is unfazed and likened the situation to the one at Manchester City when he and Sergio Aguero were in the same team.

Gabriel Jesus has lashed out at critics who have questioned his goalscoring abilities

He said: ‘This happens you know, maybe it can be agents talking about a lot of things.

‘Sometimes it is like this, it happened when I was at City even with Aguero and me scoring. I was scoring a lot and people was linking everyone.

‘So here, I don’t care about this. I know what my qualities are and I know what I can bring to the team.

‘I can score and I can also help with other things, like opening spaces.

‘But the only people who can see it are those who watch the game and understand. Those who don’t understand will say, “Oh, he didn’t score today”.

‘But maybe I run and open space for someone and then, let’s be honest, I don’t miss a lot of chances. I think it is not about, “He doesn’t know how to score”.

‘Sometimes I have to be more in the box, that it is the one thing I am working on. Tonight I was more in the box.’

The Brazilian scored in Arsenal’s 6-0 demolition of Lens at the Emirates on Wednesday night

Arsenal and Brazil striker Jesus has scored four goals in four appearances in the Champions League this season – but has found the net just once in eight Premier League outings

In Europe, the striker, who has 24 goals in 42 Champions League appearances, has been incomparable. But in the Premier League this season he has managed just one goal in eight matches.

This has of course been affected by injury, having undertaken a second knee surgery in in the space of a year at the beginning of the campaign.

When asked about this league scoring rate, he added: ‘I have other qualities as well, but I can score guys!

‘I know I am not scoring every game, it’s not easy. Like at Brentford, we played against five at the back and there were not a lot of chances.

‘I had one [chance] with my head, but it was not easy.

Arsenal have been linked with a January move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney

‘People don’t see that. Sometimes people just go to the result and see who scored, they don’t see the game. I understand my game.

‘Obviously I want to score every game, if it’s possible a hat-trick! But that’s not the reality.

‘In the Champions League this year I am scoring every game. In the Premier League I have failed to score sometimes, but I am getting better and better every day to improve that.

‘If you say my name, people say other things and not just goals – so I am happy with this — but I want to score.’

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