Gabriel Jesus believes William Saliba's injury had a huge impact on Arsenal's title chase

Gabriel Jesus has admitted that William Saliba's injury hindered Arsenal's title challenge in the 2022/23 season.

Saliba missed the final two months of the Premier League after suffering a serious back injury in March.

Arsenal, previously leading the table by five points, went on a winless streak of four games in April without their key defender, eventually finishing five points behind champions Manchester City.

Jesus himself suffered a knee injury during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, causing him to miss 15 games for Arsenal.

However, he stated on the Denilson Show that his injury did not impact the team as much as Saliba's absence did.

"When he [Saliba] plays, we concede few goals, when he doesn't play, the number [of goals conceded] increases," said Jesus.

"When I got injured, Eddie [Nketiah] replaced me very well. Then we signed Leo [Trossard). We kept the pace. But when Saliba got injured, it was complicated. The other defenders are good, but we were playing in a certain way. Look at the stats, we concede a lot less with him."

Arsenal has already taken steps to combat injury setbacks for the upcoming 2023/24 season by making significant signings.

Kai Havertz joined from Chelsea for £65 million, while deals for Declan Rice (£105 million) and Jurrien Timber (£40 million) are expected to be finalized soon, according to sources.