Arsenal's striker Gabriel Jesus has revealed the real reason behind leaving Manchester City for a move to Emirates and how life has been with the north London club and manager Mikel Arteta since his arrival.
When Gabriel Jesus arrived at Emirates this summer, Arsenal fans could not stop raving about what the sensational Brazilian forward could bring to the table. A glimpse of the 25-year-old's potential came to light in the Gunners' pre-season matches. Two months since the Premier League season started, Jesus has shockingly revealed why he chose to leave Manchester City and join the north London club. The striker's admission has also brought forth the glaring difference between Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola.
After spending five years at the Etihad, where Gabriel Jesus earned four Premier League medals and five other prestigious awards, the 25-year-old made a 45 million-pound summer transfer to Arsenal. The Brazilian has assisted the Gunners in climbing to the top of the table after seven games, scored four goals, and collected three assists.
With Mikel Arteta using Jesus as his team's central striker and attacking focal point, something that happened far too infrequently at Manchester City, the Brazilian star has already been named one of the purchases of the summer. It's a tactic that has been successful since the striker is thriving and taking pleasure in his football.
However, one would wonder why football lovers did not witness this free-flowing gameplay by Gabriel Jesus at Manchester City and why Guardiola did not pick him to start for them as frequently. The Brazilian has now declared that he feels 'free' at Arsenal and with Mikel Arteta and admitted that he left Etihad because he no longer accepted Guardiola's methods.
"The thing was how [Guardiola] understands football and what he wanted," Jesus told ESPN Brasil. "Then it was up to you to accept it or not. If you don't accept it, 'thank you' and let's go for another challenge. I accepted it for a while, but there came a moment when I said: 'I want another thing for myself.' I thanked him, 'thanks for everything,' he understood, and we moved on," the former Manchester City forward added.
"It is different here at Arsenal. The football is different - different players, different ways to play. At City, it was different. The striker didn't touch the ball that much, you see this by watching the games. And, when it was time to touch the ball, it was not the striker, because [Guardiola] ended up putting a midfielder to come closer. OK, fine. So, I decided to change," Jesus revealed.
Praising Arteta and his style of managing a player, Jesus said, "I talked a lot with Arteta about Arsenal's style. He knows me, I know him, I understood what he wanted from me. Now, I'm free on the pitch, playing football with a smile on my face and trying to do my best all the time."
When they play host to Tottenham Hotspur this Saturday in the north London derby, Arsenal will play their biggest game of the season thus far. Antonio Conte's men sit third in the Premier League table, just two places and one point below their opponents, with Manchester City sandwiched in between. The Gunners can extend the gap at the top to four points, while Spurs can leapfrog Arsenal in the table with a win.
Talking about the highly anticipated north London derby, Gabriel Jesus said, "I've had some experience of derbies, like when I played for Palmeiras, City and Brazil. So, I know what a derby is, but I never played one Arsenal versus Tottenham here. So, it will be my first and I hopefully to get the win, not only in my first but all the derbies that I will play."