Gabriel Jesus is set to join Arsenal from Manchester City after reaching an agreement on personal terms on a five-year contract. Following a deal between the two clubs, the striker will go for £45 million.
Jesus’ decision to move to the Emirates Stadium was significantly influenced by his fellow countryman Edu, Arsenal’s technical director, and head coach Mikel Arteta.
Gabriel Jesus and Arteta had previously collaborated when Arteta was part of the coaching staff at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
Jesus has decided to look elsewhere after spending five and a half seasons in Manchester after joining the team from Palmeiras in 2017.
The arrival of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund to City would limit Jesus’ chances of playing as a central striker next season which is the last season on his contract with City, hence, he had to look elsewhere.
Jesus struggled to be chosen as the No. 9 under Guardiola despite playing in all three front positions. In 28 Premier League games last year, he scored eight goals.
Following Marquinhos, Matt Turner, and Fábio Vieira, the 25-year-old Brazilian, who has 56 Brazil caps, will be Arsenal’s fourth summer acquisition.
To be in the best possible position to sign Jesus from the Premier League champions this summer, the north London club worked closely with Jesus’ agent Marcello Pettinati for nearly six months.
The sole obstacle to Jesus’ move to the Emirates then was the disparity in the value of the two clubs. It lingered even after Jesus had expressed his intention to leave City at the beginning of June.
Mikel Arteta, who was Pep Guardiola’s assistant and frequently gave one-on-one coaching and counsel, is someone who Jesus wishes to work with again.
Jesus is drawn to Arsenal because they are in desperate need of an attacker who fits his mold, and the chance to take on more responsibility.
After Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left for Barcelona and Alexandre Lacazette’s contract expired, Arteta was left without a senior striker.
Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Fernando de Jesus, a forward for both Brazil’s national team and Manchester City of the Premier League, was born on April 3, 1997. Jesus first performed at Palmeiras. He was chosen as the best rookie of the 2015 Brazilian League Series A in addition to helping his side win the Copa do Brasil that year.
He was chosen as player of the year the following season, when Palmeiras won their first national league title in 22 years.
For a €32 million transfer fee, he signed on with Manchester City in January 2017. Since then, he has won the FA Cup in 2019, the EFL Cup in 2018, and the Premier League in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
In September 2016, Jesus earned his senior team debut for Brazil. He also played on the squad that participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. At the young level, he had already amassed 21 caps and scored seven goals, helping his team reach the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup final and win an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Summer Games.
Jesus participated in the Copa América in 2019 and 2021 and took first place in the latter event.
