Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus has revealed the decision that made up his mind to leave Manchester City last season after five-and-a-half years at the England champions.
The Brazilian striker was a valuable part of Pep Guardiola’s side as they fought and won four Premier League titles, scoring 95 goals in his 236 appearances in sky blue.
But Jesus took the decision to leave the storied club last summer, joining Arsenal to play under Man City‘s former assistant coach Mikel Arteta.
The 26-year-old played a pivotal role in Arsenal’s title charge during their last campaign, with the club topping the table for large swathes of the season.
Despite spending an extended spell on the sidelines due to injury, Jesus scored 11 goals and registered a further eight assists during his 33 matches for the north London club.
Gabriel Jesus has revealed that a ‘crazy’ starting XI change prompted his move from Man City
Pep Guardiola played Oleksandr Zinchenko in an attacking role ahead of the Brazilian forward
Jesus has a close relationship with his mother Vera, even tattooing her likeness onto his arm
Speaking to the Denilson Show podcast, Jesus shared that a changed role in Man City’s squad had forced his hand and made him consider playing elsewhere.
Starting behind Oleksandr Zinchenko – his defensive team-mate at both City and Arsenal – during a Champions League tie provoked an emotional reaction for the striker, who revealed that he phoned his mother Vera in tears after finding out his manager’s revamped starting XI.
‘There was a Champions League game, PSG at home, in which (Guardiola) put Zinchenko as a false nine. Crazy thing,’ Jesus shared.
‘The day before, he didn’t even use (Zinchenko) in training, he had put me in as a striker.
‘Zinchenko even joked with me: “That day I felt bad for you”.
‘Two hours before the game, there’s a team talk, the team eats, rests for 30 minutes and goes to the game. He told us the team, I didn’t even eat.
‘I went straight to the room, crying, I called my mother to talk: “I want to leave.”
‘I’m going home, because he put (Zinchenko) on and he didn’t put me on. He put a left-back there. I went crazy.
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‘There was a lot of that with (Guardiola) and it’s not easy. It is really hard.
‘That’s when I decided, I didn’t want to stay anymore, and I decided to leave.’
Man City won the clash, which took place during their qualifying campaign in 2021, and Jesus’ introduction off the bench saw him score in the 76th minute of the club’s 2-1 victory.
But in the next round of their group ties, Jesus wasn’t even named to the bench as the side faced RB Leipzig in Germany.
Guardiola’s off-the-wall tactics in Champions League matches became lore as Manchester City failed to win their first-ever European top-flight title.
During the 2021 final in Porto, the Catalan manager was pilloried for not featuring either Fernandinho or Rodri in the defensive midfield.
Man City were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea in Portugal.
But Guardiola banished demons to lead his side to a 1-0 victory against Inter Milan in Istanbul at the end of last season, clinching a historic Treble win in the process.
Zinchenko also made the move to Arsenal last summer, and like Jesus, has become a regular fixture in Arteta’s starting line-up.
The Ukranian revealed in April that he had been convinced by his manager’s ‘impact, vision, and character’ to make the switch and move south.
Later in the podcast, Jesus shared his thoughts on why Arsenal failed to win their first Premier League title in 19 years, stressing the importance of centre back William Saliba.
A strong Premier League title challenge saw Arsenal miss out on ultimate glory, but return to the Champions League for the first time since 2016 after finishing second.
The striker also shared his thoughts on why Arsenal failed to win the title on the Brazilian show
Zinchenko and Jesus are now team-mates at Arsenal after they both moved in summer 2022
As Arteta looks to strengthen the depth of his squad, Jesus may find he has more competition in his position than last season, when he was deputised by Eddie Nketiah.
Hale End product Folarin Balogun is adamant that he will not be sent out on loan again after a blistering season at Ligue 1 side Lille, and will either seek a move elsewhere or fight for his place in starting XI.
Arsenal are also believed to be interested in Lens centre forward Lois Openda.
The club have already made significant moves in the summer transfer market, completing agreements with Chelsea forward Kai Havertz, Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, and a landmark deal for West Ham’s captain, Declan Rice.
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