Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is confident that Gabriel Jesus can reach an even higher level following his magnificent start to life at the club.

Having scored twice and contributed two assists in a 4-2 win against Leicester City a week ago, the Brazilian was back at it in the Gunners' routine 3-0 victory over Bournemouth, playing a key role in the opening goal before teeing up Martin Odegaard's second.

While Arsenal's number nine was unable to get on the scoresheet, seeing a second-half effort chalked off after a VAR review, his all-round display offered further encouragement to the Gunners' supporters.

Arteta is understandably delighted with the contribution of his new leading man, but believes he still has room to improve.

"Those individual actions make the difference in football and Gabi is doing that week in, week out. He didn't score today but he was involved in the goals and his contribution to the team was outstanding," he told Sky Sports.

"He's still 25-years-old so he can still improve his level a lot. He's hungry enough and he has got a huge desire to get better and better, to be the best that he can be and that is what he needs to do."

Arteta's praise of Jesus was echoed by club captain Odegaard, who described playing with the Brazilian as "amazing".

"He is not just about the goals, he gives us so much in the play as well, he drops back to combine and he is brilliant in a lot of places in the game. It's amazing to play with him and we're really lucky to have him here," Odegaard said.

Arsenal have also seen Oleksandr Zinchenko settle quickly following his own arrival from City, while Fabio Vieira has returned to fitness following an injury setback and is awaiting his first-team debut.

Further signings may still be on the cards for the Gunners though, with Arteta admitting he has his eyes on additional recruits.

"We will try to the end, the transfer window is tricky at the moment. We would like to do something else but let's see what we can do," he declared.

Ronaldinho has backed Gabriel Jesus to show he is one of the best players in Europe following his transfer to Arsenal, who he expects to seal a return to the Champions League.

The Gunners splashed a reported £45million to sign the BrazIl forward from Manchester City and Jesus has quickly made an impact, scoring a brace in a 4-2 win against Leicester City last weekend.

Jesus' performances have helped Arsenal stand alongside City as the only Premier League sides to win their opening two matches of the season, providing an early boost to Mikel Arteta's hopes of guiding the club to a top-four finish.

Ronaldinho believes that it will not only be Arsenal that benefit, as the legendary Brazilian feels Jesus has now been handed the platform to show he is one of the top players on the continent.

"When Gabriel joined Manchester City I said he would go on to be one of the best players in the world," he told the Mirror.

"When he was given a chance, he showed what he was capable of - but at Manchester City he was never shown the love a player of his quality deserves.

"At Arsenal he has been given the chance to be the focal point, he has been shown the love by the coach and the fans, and already he is repaying that. 

"This season I expect big things from him - he will repay the love shown in him by showing he is not just one of the best players in the Premier League, but also in Europe."

With the signing of Jesus, along with the captures of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira, Ronaldinho is confident Arsenal can secure a return to the Champions League at the minimum.

"Arsenal will get back into the top four this season with the signings they have made - maybe they can even achieve more and challenge for the title," he added.

"Manchester City look very strong and they will be favourites - but in football anything is possible."

The second Saturday of the new Premier League campaign did not disappoint, serving up a thrilling comeback, a spectacular home debut and a familiar sinking feeling for Manchester United supporters.

If last week's 2-1 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion represented a baptism of fire for Erik ten Hag, United's trip to Brentford provided further despair as the dismal Red Devils hit a 30-year low.

There was more joy for rivals Manchester City as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Bournemouth, while Gabriel Jesus made good on his pre-season promise with a dominant performance against Leicester City.

Here, Stats Perform trawls through Opta's data to bring you some of the best numbers from the day's Premier League action.

Brentford 4-0 Manchester United: Ten Hag matches unwanted Chapman record against brilliant Bees

Where do you start with this one? New United boss Ten Hag was left in no doubt regarding the side's problems when a Pascal Gross double sent them crashing to an opening-day defeat last week.

But not even the most pessimistic United follower could have predicted their collapse in west London, as Ten Hag became the first Red Devils manager to lose his first two games at the helm since John Chapman in November 1921.

Things got off to a dreadful start when David de Gea let Josh Dasilva's shot squirm into the net after 10 minutes; since the start of the 2018-19 season, only Jordan Pickford (11) has made more errors leading to Premier League goals than the Spaniard.

Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee and Bryan Mbeumo joined Dasilva on the scoresheet by the 35th minute as Brentford scored with their first four shots on target, while Cristiano Ronaldo cut a dejected figure on his return to the United team.

Only two teams had previously scored four first-half goals against United in a Premier League game; Tottenham in October 2020 and Liverpool in October 2021.

The result is that United have begun a top-flight campaign with back-to-back defeats for the first time since 1992-93, the Premier League's inaugural season.

And while the table has not quite taken shape two games in, United ended the day bottom of the Premier League for the first time since August 21, 1992.

Arsenal 4-2 Leicester City: Miraculous home debut for Jesus

Another side with Champions League ambitions has made a far brighter start to the Premier League season, as Mikel Arteta's Arsenal made it two consecutive wins with an entertaining victory over Leicester.

Former Manchester City forward Jesus was hailed as a coup for the Gunners when he arrived in the off-season, and he enjoyed a home debut to remember by scoring two goals and adding two assists.

In doing so, the Brazilian became the first player to score multiple goals on his home Premier League bow for Arsenal, as well as the first Gunners player to double up for goals and assists in a single league game since Theo Walcott against Newcastle in December 2012 (three goals, two assists).

Before Jesus assisted compatriot Gabriel Martinelli for Arsenal's fourth goal, he became the 12th different Brazilian to score in the Premier League for Arsenal – the most of any side in the competition's history.

Jesus was not the only player to impress, however, with Granit Xhaka both scoring and assisting in the same match for the first time in an Arsenal shirt, 252 games into his Gunners career.

Leicester, meanwhile, were subjected to a familiar feeling of frustration in north London – this was the sixth time they have conceded at least four goals in a Premier League game against Arsenal.

Manchester City 4-0 Bournemouth: Champions cruise despite quiet day for Haaland

Home teams hitting four goals seemed to be a theme of the day, as Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions followed up a win at West Ham by cruising past Bournemouth.

Scott Parker's team were likely not expecting a result at the Etihad Stadium; City have now won all 11 of their Premier League matches against Bournemouth, the best 100 per cent winning record against a particular team in the competition's history.

A Jefferson Lerma own goal came after strikes from Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden, as the Cherries made it 17 league matches without a win against City in their history – the most one side has faced another without a victory in English league history.

Kevin De Bruyne was at his creative best for City, scoring his 16th league goal since the start of last season before teeing up Foden's strike.

The Belgian has both scored and assisted in 20 separate Premier League matches since his September 2015 debut. Only Mohamed Salah (24) and Son Heung-min (21) have done so on more occasions in that time.

But while City were rampant, new talisman Haaland was quiet. The Norwegian only managed eight touches and two successful passes, but still managed to make an impact.

One of Haaland's passes was from kick-off, the other teed up Gundogan to score the first goal.

Southampton 2-2 Leeds United: Saints manage rare comeback as Aribo opens account

Elsewhere, Jesse Marsch's Leeds failed to make it two wins from two as Southampton launched a stirring comeback on the south coast.

Rodrigo was on the scoresheet in a win over Wolves last week before hitting a brace at St Marys, making him the first player to score three goals in Leeds' first two games of a Premier League season since Alan Smith in 2000-01.

But Leeds could not hold on, failing to win after going two goals ahead for only the second time in their last 36 Premier League games, and for the first time in 14 such contests (since a 3-3 draw with Charlton Athletic in May 2004).

Southampton have now avoided defeat in two of the last five Premier League games where they have gone two goals down (also a 2-2 draw against Brighton in April), but their love of a comeback is a new characteristic.

Before April, the Saints had only managed one win and one draw from the last 58 Premier League games in which they went two goals behind.

Joe Aribo represents one of their most impressive additions following his arrival from Rangers, and his goal made him the first Nigerian to score in the Premier League for Southampton, as well as the 38th in the competition's history overall.

Mikel Arteta hailed Gabriel Jesus for raising standards at Arsenal after the Brazilian scored two goals and registered two assists in a thrilling win over Leicester City.

Arsenal made it two wins from two Premier League matches with a 4-2 victory over the Foxes at Emirates Stadium on Saturday as Jesus recorded his first competitive goals since arriving from Manchester City for £45million in July.  

In doing so, Jesus became the first player to score more than once on his home Premier League debut for the Gunners, while the 25-year-old is also the first Arsenal player to double up for goals and assists in a league game since Theo Walcott against Newcastle United in December 2012 (three goals and two assists).

The signing of Jesus, a four-time Premier League champion, was lauded as a coup for a side that missed out on Champions League football last term, and Arteta has been delighted by his strong start.

"I think it lifts the standards with the way that he's training every day and the way that he's talking," said the Arsenal boss.

"I think it's very natural, but at the same time it's pretty impressive to do it that quickly, but then we are asking other players to score goals as well. 

"If you want to be at the top then we're going to have to score a lot of goals and we cannot rely on two or three players.

"We know what Gabby can do. He scored two and assisted two and he's still disappointed in the dressing room because he said he could have scored four. 

"That's the standard, that's the mentality that if you want to go to a different level, you need that mentality. 

"I wouldn't like to play against him. I have never been a defender, but I can imagine that they don't enjoy it. He's so mobile, so intuitive and is always sharp and proactive to play in any moment and any phase of the game and he's a real threat."

Jesus' opener made him the 12th Brazilian player to score for Arsenal in the Premier League, the most of any club in the competition's history.

The forward only made 21 Premier League starts during his final season with City, but has assumed a central role since heading to the Emirates.

And Arteta recognises the importance of managing his workload, adding: "We are going to demand him to start a lot of games, so we have to manage that load and the way that we train is different.

"We have to be on top of that and hopefully we are."

Gabriel Jesus merely wanted an opportunity for regular football as he sought a move away from Manchester City to Arsenal.

Jesus opened his account for his new club in style on Saturday, scoring twice in a 4-2 victory over Leicester City.

The Brazil forward, who cost Arsenal a reported £45million in July, also assisted his side's other two goals.

He finished with statistics of seven shots, with three on target, and three chances created.

Jesus moved on from the champions in search of guaranteed game time, and he will no doubt get that at Arsenal should this form continue.

"A lot, a lot," Jesus told Premier League productions when asked how much he was enjoying his role at Arsenal.

"I was not unhappy at City, I just wanted to play and the club understood, and the manager.

"Sometimes players want to play, I’m the same. Here I come, train every day, with Eddie [Nketiah], who has a lot of quality and confidence to play as well. I think Arsenal have two good strikers."

Jesus also detailed his frustration at missing some gilt-edged chances – including an open goal late on – to net a hat-trick.

"Of course, for sure! I work all day every day to score goals, to help [the team]," he said when asked if he was disappointed not to get a third, referring to a brilliant chance he engineered for himself late in the second half after taking down Aaron Ramsdale's pass, only for Wilfred Ndidi to intervene.

"The ball from Aaron, I did well, and then I got to shoot, but the defender came back quick, and after I had another chance to score, so I am a little bit sad because of this. 

"But I'm so happy, not just because of the goals but the way the team has played. In difficult moments, we conceded two goals, but we played well and tried always to score."

Jesus became the 12th different Brazilian player to score a Premier League goal for Arsenal, while he is the first player to score more than once on his home debut for the club in the competition.

With two assists as well, he was the first Arsenal player to both score and assist two or more goals in a Premier League game since Theo Walcott against Newcastle United in December 2012 (three goals, two assists).

Gabriel Jesus scored twice and set up another two goals as Arsenal made it two wins to start the Premier League season by beating Leicester City 4-2.

Jesus impressed without getting on the scoresheet in his competitive Gunners debut against Crystal Palace, but the former Manchester City striker delivered the goods on Saturday to make up for some questionable Arsenal defending.

The Brazil international's double put Arsenal into a commanding first-half lead, and he capped off a brilliant display with two second-half assists after Arsenal twice gifted Leicester some hope.

Granit Xhaka netted Arsenal's third following William Saliba's own goal, and after James Maddison struck through Aaron Ramsdale's legs to make it 3-2, Jesus set up Gabriel Martinelli to complete the scoring.

The post came to Leicester's rescue in the 20th minute when Xhaka headed against the upright, but their good fortune ran out when Jesus’ deflected effort curled in over Danny Ward.

Ir was 2-0 in the 35th minute, Jesus doubling his tally by nodding in unmarked from a corner.

With Jesus having twice come close to a third, Leicester thought they had a lifeline when Jamie Vardy went down under pressure from Ramsdale, yet referee Darren England overturned his decision to award a spot-kick after a VAR check showed there was little contact.

Saliba's blunder – an inadvertent header beyond Ramsdale – gave Leicester a route back into the match, but they conceded again just 106 seconds later.

Ward spilled what should have been a simple catch, and Xhaka was on hand to sweep home from Jesus' lay-off.

Maddison's crisp shot and poor goalkeeping from Ramsdale dragged Leicester back into it with 16 minutes remaining, yet Arsenal hit back swiftly again – Martinelli drilling in from the edge of the box.

Jesus struck the post with the goal gaping as a hat-trick chance went begging, but his key contribution on his home Premier League debut for the Gunners sealed all three points.

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes is confident Gabriel Jesus and William Saliba can provide a huge boost to the team, and explained how he is helping both to settle.

The Gunners signed Jesus from Manchester City to fill an attacking void left by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's exit in January and Alexandre Lacazette's move to Lyon following the expiration of his contract at the Emirates Stadium.

Jesus was on fire in pre-season, hitting seven goals including a hat-trick in the demolition of Sevilla, and made his Premier League debut for Mikel Arteta's side in last week's 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

While the Brazilian was not on the scoresheet, his pressing from the front caught the eye and defender Gabriel has revealed he may have had a small part to play in Jesus' move to north London.

"Gabriel [Jesus] is a really good guy. Of course, it helps that we have the Brazilian link," he told Sky Sports.

"When we were on international duty, we discussed his future and I was telling him, 'Come to Arsenal! Come to Arsenal!' Maybe I had a bit of an influence there."

"He is someone who is very focused and really enjoys working hard. He is here to improve the team and he is already doing that. 

"He has come here with big expectations. He wants to achieve big things with Arsenal. I think he is really going to help us."

In the win against Palace, Gabriel had a new partner at the heart of defence in the form of Saliba, who was making his competitive debut for the Gunners three years after he was signed from Saint-Etienne.

The France international earned an abundance of praise following his performance, including being compared by Gary Neville to a young Rio Ferdinand, and Gabriel believes they can forge a strong relationship on the field.

"He's a young player who came here at a very young age and then went out to get some experience," he added.

"Now, despite his age, he is already playing for the French national team. That tells you how good he is. He's here to help the team and he's a very promising talent.

"He is a good friend of mine already. We speak French together, so that helps. He has added a lot of quality to the team and I think he has a brilliant future ahead of him.

"I have been here for two years now, so I do have experience that I can use to help him.

"But at the same time, he can help me. He has a lot of quality and a lot of physical strength out on the pitch. We have similar qualities. I think we complement each other well."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hailed the performance of debutants William Saliba and Gabriel Jesus in the Gunners' 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

While Jesus was a thorn in the side of the Eagles' defence with a threatening display, particularly in the first half, at the other end Saliba put in a commanding defensive display – having waited three years for his debut.

Saliba's dominant showing saw the 21-year-old register a team-high seven clearances and win possession seven times, behind only Thomas Partey (eight).

Speaking after the game, Arteta discussed the merits of a partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes.

"You need the right balance," the manager told Sky Sports.

"Physicality in this league is something that you cannot come short, because if you do, you're going to be exposed, and you're going to have to be able to deal with certain games and certain opponents, which demand so much in those aspects.

"The two, for their age, they're really well built, and they give us a different edge, the same with Ben [White].

"That's the resilience we need to win football matches and to see football matches through. We had some moments; you need your goalkeeper because, to be honest, they had the biggest chance in the game, the one against one, and Aaron [Ramsdale] did incredibly well."

Although Jesus was not on the scoresheet for Arsenal, his intent was evident from the start as he put the Palace defence under pressure and contested a team-high 21 duels.

"The fear factor," Arteta said, describing the forward's impact. "He's always on your shoulder, he's always had that ability, the intuition to get the ball off you, and he's never standing still.

"He's always on the move, he's always ready to act, and he's so sharp. For the defenders, it's difficult to play against him."

As well as Jesus, Arsenal have added Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Marquinhos, but Arteta – who celebrated his 50th league win as Gunners boss – is still on the lookout for further additions before the transfer window shuts on September 1.

"We are going to try," he said. "There are a few things that we have planned, and if we can do them, it would be great.

"But now we'll work with the players we have. We're into the season already, and the focus should be on the players we have, to get the best out of them."

It may feel like it has only been away for a few weeks, but the Premier League is back on Friday, meaning time is running out for you to get your fantasy team into shape.

With all the transfers and new teams to keep track of, getting a fantasy team that you're happy with on the opening day can be a tricky task.

Has the new striker settled? Can the promoted defence remain solid in a higher division? That guy scored goals in another country, but can he translate that form to the Premier League?

There is lots to take into account, but Stats Perform have crunched the Opta numbers in the aim of giving you a hand, so here are four picks that might be worth considering…

JOSE SA (Leeds United v Wolves)

The likes of Alisson and Ederson might be more likely to get clean sheet points for you, but many fantasy football players see goalkeeper as an area to save a bit of cash.

Sa could be a solid option to consider if that sounds like you. The Portuguese keeper prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League last season (8.5), according to expected goals data – the next best was David de Gea with 2.8.

Similarly, only Alisson (76) had a better save percentage (75) than Sa (minimum 1,000 minutes played), highlighting just how dependable he was when called upon.

REECE JAMES (Everton v Chelsea)

Even though he missed a chunk of the season through injury, James was a standout performer when he was fit.

His 14 goal involvements (five goals, nine assists) was a joint-Premier League high among defenders alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, though the latter played almost 1,000 minutes more.

That haul gave him an average of one goal involvement every 133 minutes. Of all the defenders to play at least 90 minutes, that was the best record. He might be pricey, but James could be a real asset.

DEJAN KULUSEVSKI (Tottenham v Southampton)

It is not easy to come into a team mid-season and impress almost instantly, but that's essentially what Kulusevski did last term, proving a hugely reliable player as Tottenham went on to clinch Champions League qualification.

The service he provided to his fellow attackers was invaluable as he recorded eight assists – between his debut on February 9 and the end of the season, no Premier League player set up more goals.

He also chipped in with five goals of his own, giving him a goal involvement total (13) that was only bettered by Karry Kane, Son Heung-min (both 19) and Kevin De Bruyne (15) over the same period.

If he can reach that level again, Kulusevski will be a fantasy favourite.

GABRIEL JESUS (Crystal Palace v Arsenal)

Most people will be making Erling Haaland their main choice in attack – you can't blame anyone for that, but he does have a certain cost.

Jesus may have only left Manchester City because of Haaland, but the early indications are the Brazil international and Arsenal could be a great marriage. He'll be cheaper than the man who has replaced him at the Etihad Stadium, too.

But also, we shouldn't overlook how good a player Jesus – who scored seven in five pre-season games – actually is. After all, only once before has he managed more goal involvements (16) than he did last season, and he was mostly playing from the right wing.

Additionally, his minutes per goal involvement ratio in the Premier League (minimum 1,000 minutes played) since his debut is the fifth best (107) – now he'll be a regular starter, and many expect him to blossom.

Mikel Arteta expects Gabriel Jesus to offer a lot to Arsenal as the new-look Gunners hope to hit the ground running with an early statement of intent in the new Premier League season.

Arsenal had been in dire need of attacking reinforcements after allowing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave mid-way through last season and then letting Alexandre Lacazette's contract expire.

Brazil international Jesus was quickly identified as a primary target and Arsenal sealed his £45million signing in early July, allowing him to link up with Arteta once again having worked together at Manchester City.

Some expressed doubts over Jesus being the right sort of player to fill the void given he had rarely been seen as dependable enough at City to be their first-choice striker – he spent most of last season playing on the right wing.

But he has looked extremely sharp in pre-season, scoring seven goals in five games, including a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Sevilla last weekend.

While pre-season form may not count for a lot, Arsenal fans' expectations have understandably increased – not that Arteta is worried.

"When you bring top players, they're coming from top clubs and they've been extremely successful over the years, they're going to expect that [high expectations]," Arteta told reporters ahead of Friday's Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.

"The role Gabby has here is going to be very different to the role he had in his previous club, and need some time and adaptation.

"We're all surprised with how quickly he's done it [adapted], but we have to share that responsibility.

"He's an enormous talent and a player with a mentality that's so contagious and is going to give us a lot."

Jesus' arrival and early form have increased positivity around the club, and Arteta is seemingly setting his sights high.

"It's great that people are excited but there's a lot of excitement across the Premier League because a lot of clubs have done a lot of business, getting stronger and stronger, and the competition is really big. We're focusing on what we want to do, and we want to be at the top of that table," he added.

Another major change over pre-season was the appointment of Martin Odegaard as the club's new captain.

Lacazette had been captain until his departure, with the Frenchman taking the armband when Aubameyang was stripped of the role last year.

The Arsenal captaincy has been contentious in recent seasons, with Aubameyang not the first to seemingly struggle with the responsibility, but Arteta has a good feeling with Odegaard.

"This season we had the opportunity to do it in a way I believe could work, picking a player, Martin, who's been with us 18 months, who in my opinion represents values of the club in the perfect way," Arteta said.

"He's well respected by everyone in the team, he's admired by the staff, has experience even if he's 23 because [he is captain] for the national team [Norway], and then he's got that drive and passion for the game that he promotes every single day and in the way he plays.

"I'm very happy to have someone like him and he's onboard, enjoying the responsibility. He'll need support but it's a huge thing for him as well."

Arteta also delivered some positive injury news on the eve of the season's start. While Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe have been struggling with injuries in recent weeks, as many of three of them could travel to Selhurst Park.

However, Arteta would not reveal which is set to miss out.

"Good question," he said. "You'll find out tomorrow [Friday]."

Emile Smith Rowe believes Arsenal are looking well prepared ahead of the new Premier League season, and has been impressed by new addition Gabriel Jesus.

The Gunners narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification last term after losing crucial games to Tottenham and Newcastle United, and they responded by investing heavily in the squad during the transfer window.

Their marquee signing so far has been Jesus, who arrived for a reported £45million from Manchester City.

The Brazil striker left Pep Guardiola's team for Arsenal after starting just 28 games in all competitions last season, scoring 13 goals.

Only Riyad Mahrez (24), Kevin De Bruyne (19), Raheem Sterling (17) and Phil Foden (14) outscored Jesus for City last term, as Guardiola's men successfully defended their title by a single point ahead of Liverpool.

Jesus has already been finding the net on a regular basis for his new club during pre-season, including scoring a hat-trick in Saturday's 6-0 friendly win against Sevilla at Emirates Stadium.

Speaking to Five, Smith Rowe was positive about how he and his team-mates are preparing for the new season, and reserved particular praise for the early impression made by Jesus.

"The players that have come back [from last season], I already know how good they are, so it's not a surprise to see how good they are and how well they are doing," he said.

"But from the new players, I think Gabriel Jesus [has been the most impressive]. I didn't actually realise how sharp he was.

"Obviously, playing against him, it's different. You see him, watching Man City before [he signed]. But when you actually see him in training...

"I've been telling my friends, they're always asking, and I'm like 'he's ridiculous'. Everyone in the team is really excited for the new season, and the fans should be as well, I think."

Arsenal get their campaign under way with a trip to Crystal Palace on Friday.

Mikel Arteta believes the arrival of Gabriel Jesus at Arsenal has already turned captain Martin Odegaard into a better and more influential player.

The Gunners' preparations for the new season concluded in style on Saturday with a 6-0 thrashing of Sevilla at Emirates Stadium, with Jesus' hat-trick coming alongside a double from Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah's strike off the bench.

Jesus' quick start to life in north London has been a huge talking point since his signing from Manchester City, with the Brazilian netting seven pre-season goals.

Odegaard, meanwhile, was named as Arsenal's permanent captain ahead of the win against Sevilla, and Arteta is confident the addition of Jesus will help the former Real Madrid playmaker hit new heights.

"Gaby makes Odegaard better. We needed someone to make him look better. The connection is there," Arteta told a news conference after the win.

"Jesus plays with that intensity to win the ball and play in the opposition half. You can't do that if players don't work.

Pep Guardiola is confident Erling Haaland and the rest of Manchester City's new signings will settle in swiftly, though he acknowledged the Premier League champions have lost some key players.

Club stalwart Fernandinho left when his contract expired at the end of last season, and City have sold three other players who played a role in Guardiola's success, with Raheem Sterling joining Chelsea while Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko departed for Arsenal.

City already have most of their replacements through the door. Julian Alvarez was signed in January and has now linked up with the squad, while a deal was struck with Borussia Dortmund for prolific striker Haaland in May.

Kalvin Phillips has been signed from Leeds United to bolster City's midfield and Stefan Ortega has joined as a back-up goalkeeper, facilitating a loan move to Middlesbrough for Zack Steffen.

City's new recruits could get their first taste of competitive action on Saturday, when Guardiola's side face FA Cup winners Liverpool in the Community Shield.

Though he has been impressed with how quickly the new arrivals have started their City careers, Guardiola emphasised how important the players who have moved on were to his squad.

He told a news conference: "If you analyse what happened in the last years, without these important players it would be difficult to imagine it. We wish all of them the best.

"New people arrived, they settled quickly, down to earth and very humble people. We are going to try, this is Manchester City, we are all of us, we try to be a competitive team, to win our first title. 

"It's an honour to compete again [for the Community Shield], we will try to do a good game against an opponent we know well, it will dictate a little bit how is our moment, our level. Two, three weeks of pre-season is too short, but I saw many good things in this period."

Asked if it would take time for his new players to adapt, Guardiola said: "Hopefully not, the quicker they settle the better. It's my feeling they will not take time.

"Stefan surprised us a lot, how good he is on the ball and with our build-up, Kalvin knows the Premier League perfectly. The way they've listened, behaved, the minutes they've played. I think they'll settle quickly."

Guardiola was pressed on whether this was a "reset" the squad required, but the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona boss stressed that was not necessarily the case.

"Sometimes the transfer market dictates what you want to do," he explained. "The first season when we arrived we tried to loan, sell players and could not. This year I do not know what happened.

"Sometimes you want to do things, but it depends not just how good or bad we are but on the situations, and these situations happened quicker than we expected.

"The three players who have been sold, if they stayed with us they would have been incredibly happy. I know them, they [would have] continued to do what they had done. These situations have happened, we make our replacements, and they are here.

"Normally when a project is six, seven years, you are not seven years with the same people. When I arrived there was just Kevin [De Bruyne]. We have gratitude for the guys that were here. All the players have made an incredible contribution, we can only be grateful."

City are interested in signing Brighton and Hove Albion left-back Marc Cucurella, who on Friday was said to have handed in a transfer request in an attempt to push through a move, with the Seagulls reportedly holding out for a £50million fee.

Guardiola refused to comment further, though he did note it was an area of the pitch City would like to strengthen if possible.

Aymeric Laporte, meanwhile, is likely to be out until at least September after having knee surgery, Guardiola confirmed.

Arsenal's Edu-led evolution is set to come to a head in the 2022-23 season, with the technical director stating publicly this week that a top-four finish is the target.

Inconsistency throughout last season, culminating in a poor run of form at the end of the campaign, saw Arsenal's absence from the Champions League extend to five years.

With Mikel Arteta at the helm and Edu leading the recruitment, the Gunners now believe this is their time and, with the Brazilian's comments in pre-season about this being the season for success in the long-term plan, the pressure is on.

Arsenal have brought in the likes of Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale in recent times, while they have also cemented the futures of young players like Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe.

One major piece of the puzzle was missing last season, however, with no striker to take the mantle of leading the line until Nketiah's purple patch – but the London club are hoping that will change with the capture of Gabriel Jesus.

Signed following a trophy-laden spell at Manchester City, the fact that Arsenal managed to land Jesus, in a World Cup year no less, is a feather in Edu's cap, but the real question is, can he end Arsenal's number nine curse?

Staggeringly, no number nine has hit 15 goals for the club in a Premier League season since the 1998-99 campaign, when Nicolas Anelka found the back of the net 17 times.

Since then, Davor Sukor, Francis Jeffers, Jose Antonio Reyes, Julio Baptista, Eduardo, Park Chu Young, Lukas Podolski and Lucas Perez have all graced the number nine shirt with varying, but largely disappointing, returns.

Alexandre Lacazette came closest with a 14-goal haul in his first Premier League season but, with just four top-flight goals last year, it was clear the Gunners needed a significant upgrade on the Frenchman.

Jesus has also fallen short of the 15-goal mark in his Premier League career, with a season-high of 14 in the 2019-20 campaign – though it is worth mentioning his City career has seen him be a member of the supporting cast, rather than the leading man.

He will be first choice through the middle at Arsenal and his numbers are encouraging compared to those who have recently had that role.

In Lacazette, Arsenal had a forward who scored 78 Premier League goals at a rate of 0.5 per 90 minutes, totalling just over 14,000 minutes in the competition– a record that Jesus easily beats.

Jesus has scored 95 Premier League goals at a rate of 0.6 per 90 minutes, playing just over 100 minutes more than the Frenchman – and his return is comparable to what Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang achieved during his stint at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal's former captain outscored both with 104 career Premier League goals, a rate of 0.65 per 90 minutes, but he played over 300 minutes more than Jesus did for City.

Again, his role for City was different, playing alongside the likes of Sergio Aguero and, when his fellow South American departed, Pep Guardiola elected to mainly utilise him in a wider area – limiting his opportunities in front of goal.

Through the middle, Jesus' task will be to improve the return in the final third where, during the 2021-22 season, Arsenal netted 39 goals in open play compared to an xG of 48.2.

A number of missed opportunities were high xG chances that, over the course of the season, could have made a significant difference in the battle for Champions League football.

What Arsenal lacked in a recognised striker, however, they made up for in other areas, with a further 21 goals over the course of the season coming from set-pieces.

Other areas where Arsenal shone included the goals they scored on the counter-attack, netting a joint league-high of six, which Jesus should be able to improve. Arsenal also hit the woodwork on 18 occasions, so they will be looking for the Brazilian to make them more clinical.

Pre-season has also been encouraging for the early part of Jesus' career in the capital, scoring four goals in as many games – including a well-taken chipped finish in the 4-0 Florida Cup drubbing of London rivals Chelsea.

Jesus should get support from Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, who both hit double figures for goals last season, while Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Nketiah and Gabriel Magalhaes all scored at least five.

That ought to also help Jesus' assists return, with the 25-year-old providing 29 during his time at City – including eight last season, enough to be joint-top of the Premier League champions' assist charts alongside Kevin de Bruyne.

According to the numbers, Jesus is more than capable of being the man Arsenal have needed ever since Aubameyang's fall from grace – but he cannot do it alone and the Gunners need to be firing on all cylinders.

Edu is delighted that Arsenal managed to sign first-choice transfer targets Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko despite missing out on Champions League football last term.

However, the club's technical director also revealed Raphinha was never close to moving to the Emirates Stadium, with the now-Barcelona winger having always prioritised a move to Camp Nou.

Arsenal have been active in the transfer market after a late-season collapse saw rivals Tottenham secure a top-four Premier League finish at their expense in May, outspending every other side in the top flight do far.

Alongside former Manchester City duo Jesus and Zinchenko, Mikel Arteta's side have recruited Porto's Fabio Vieira, New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner, and young Sao Paulo winger Marquinhos, and Edu revealed Arsenal's lack of Champions League football has not been too inhibitive in securing their foremost targets. 

"[We signed] almost 100 per cent of them," he told Sky Sports. "I understand sometimes players want to play Champions League football, but I think we can offer something very special for the players as well.

"It's not only Champions League, but you can be part of a group of players which can achieve something very special for this football club. And then I always ask them if they want to be part of the project we've been building.

"I'm sure we will do something very special for this football club and then when I explain to the players, they really understand [it] and that's why they're here."

Zinchenko made just 10 Premier League starts for City last season, playing a total of 1,044 minutes in the competition, but Edu is delighted with the signing of the Ukraine star after targeting him for six months.

"We are so excited to have Zinchenko with us here because he's a player that we really targeted," he added.

"It's a player that we really believe has the characteristics and the qualities that are going to increase our level in the squad for sure. [The transfer] was planned like six months ago, to feed that position in the best way possible in the way which Mikel really wants to play.

"Mikel of course knows him more than anyone because they worked together [at City] but all the information around the player is top."

Edu also revealed the signing of Jesus was the culmination of another drawn-out process, adding: "I think we as a club have to be proud to have a player like Gabriel Jesus here.

"This process really, I think, takes like seven months in terms of understanding each other and talking to each other, because also he had a lot of other opportunities and then he chooses because he understands who we are."

Raphinha was another player linked with Arsenal after scoring 11 goals in 35 Premier League appearances for Leeds United last season.

However, he made a big-money move to Barcelona earlier this month, and while Arsenal did speak to the winger's agent Deco, Edu revealed his heart was set on a move to Camp Nou.

"People think we went in too deep about Raphinha, because Raphinha was everywhere," Edu said. "It's fair, we did have some conversations with Deco because Deco is his agent and I have a good relationship [with him] - we are friends.

"I just said to Deco, 'can you explain to me the situation with Raphinha?' and he was clear, 'Edu, we have a good relationship but I'm not going to lie to you, his idea is to go to Barcelona because he's dreaming to go to Barcelona, and we've been talking to Barcelona since a long time ago'.

"[I said] 'okay, thank you very much, if something happens then just let me know because I can explore and understand the situation'. If not, no problem and we carry on with our relationship."