Delayed Gabriel Jesus role change to activate after £86m Arsenal striker deal after Wolves trial

There was some surprise to see Mikel Arteta go with a front three of Leandro Trossard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus at the weekend against Wolves, especially as it meant dropping Kai Havertz back into the midfield. The German has surpassed most expectations whilst playing as the centre-forward, with most appearances in the midfield coming in for greater scrutiny - with the recent loss against Aston Villa one such example.

That said, the German had an excellent game against Wolves whilst the likes of Jesus and Trossard also surprised but more so with their positioning. As the game went on, Jesus began to drift more out left as Trossard took up a central role.

He was waiting in the middle for a pass from the left inside the box from his Brazilian teammate which of course was the set-up for the opening goal of the game. Trossard has excelled at times playing through the middle and for many, he is considered to be at his best when opted for centrally.

Jesus, meanwhile, continues to raise questions of a great variety. From where his future lies entirely to where he might feature should Arteta look to keep hold of him.

Interestingly with the transfer focus continually centred around a striker, Jesus' future is indeed in significant threat of uncertainty. However, this exercise at Wolves which saw the former Man City forward drift left could indeed signal the change.

Arsenal have been linked to Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres who has a €100million (£86.3million) release clause with the Portuguese side. It is said they will accept no less than this, but that has not deterred the interest from Arsenal and football.london understands he is among a number of strikers they are watching with a greater emphasis on the younger profiles.

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A much more traditional No.9 than Jesus, the Swede's hypothetical arrival would prompt a switch which could see Jesus used in either wide area. Bukayo Saka has needed depth behind him which simply hasn’t been present and Jesus did indeed play plenty of games in the wider role.

"That was Arsenal's idea, for me to play No.9, loose. This season has been different; we've had injuries and in the last few games I've played three up front," he said in October. "For a while, I thought I'd just say I wanted to play No.9, but I’m here to help the team.

"I'm blessed by God to have this talent and the versatility to play in all three forward positions. I prefer not to choose."

He seems certainly open to the change of role and if it keeps him in Arteta’s thoughts he would be minded to accept it. How the Arsenal squad will look come August remains something of a mystery with plenty of movement both in and out expected.