Arsenal striker, Gabriel Jesus, has revealed the circumstances that led to his departure from Manchester City and his subsequent move to the Emirates Stadium last summer.
Jesus initially joined Manchester City as a teenager from the Brazilian club Palmeiras in 2019, with a reported transfer fee of £27 million.
During his time at City, he served as a backup to the veteran striker Sergio Aguero until Aguero’s departure in 2021.
According to Sky Sports, the signings of strikers Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez prompted the 26-year-old to seek a new opportunity last summer.
Ultimately, he chose Arsenal as his next destination, reuniting with former City assistant Mikel Arteta, who was then managing Arsenal.
Why Jesus left Man City
For the first time since he left the Etihad Stadium, the Brazil international has opened up on what transpired and when he knew his time with the English champions was up.
”There was a Champions League game, PSG, at home, in which he [Guardiola] put Zinchenko as a false 9. Crazy thing,” Jesus said on the Denilson Show podcast.
“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.”
According to City’s official statement at his departure, he played 236 games, scored 95 goals, provided 46 assists and won 11 trophies in sky blue.
Jesus gives title advice
Sports Brief reported that Jesus gave Arsenal teammates title advice when they were eight points clear of Manchester City, but unfortunately, they crumbled.
Jesus and Zinchenko came into the Gunners squad with experience, having won four titles each at Manchester, but their expertise could not rub off on the team, and they lost it.