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Gabriel Jesus acknowledges that Guardiola pressured him to leave Man City.
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The footballer reveals how he feels free at Arsenal.
Brazilian professional footballer Gabriel Jesus has revealed he feels “free” at Arsenal and admits he left Manchester City because he needed a change from Pep Guardiola.
After five years at City, where he won four Premier League medals and five other prestigious awards, the 25-year-old made a £45 million summer transfer to the Gunners.
Jesus has aided Arsenal in their ascent to the top of the table after seven games since his move to the south, scoring four goals and grabbing three assists.
With Mikel Arteta using Jesus as his central striker and focal point, something that happened far too infrequently at City, he has already been dubbed one of the signings of the summer.
Jesus told ESPN Brasil:
“The thing was the way [Guardiola] understands football and what he wanted, “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. 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.”
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Jesus added:
“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.”
Arsenal’s biggest game of the season so far is upon them this weekend when they host Tottenham.
With Man City sandwiched between them in the standings, Antonio Conte’s team is currently in third place, just two spots and one point behind their rivals. With a win, Spurs can overtake Arsenal in the standings and close the gap at the top to four points for the Gunners.
He added:
“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.”