Why Gabriel Jesus chose Arsenal transfer over Tottenham
Suraj Radia
- 30 Sep 2022 15:33 CDT
- 3 min read
Mikel Arteta has revealed how Arsenal managed to convince Gabriel Jesus to turn down Tottenham in order to move to the Emirates.
Jesus joined the Gunners from Manchester City in the summer for £45 million and the Brazilian has fired Arsenal to the top of the Premier League with four goals and three assists in his first seven games.
The forward reportedly rejected offers from a host of clubs to join Arsenal including Tottenham and the bitter rivals come up against each other in their next game.
Speaking ahead of the derby, Arteta admitted the presence of fellow Brazilian, director Edu Gaspar, helped persuade Jesus to sign for the Gunners.
“Edu had a talk with him to express and project and what the club is about,” Arteta told his pre-match press conference.
“He explained the role he would have at the club. I then spoke to him so it was a team effort and he clearly understood what we wanted to do.
“The relationship with him (Edu was general coordinator of the Brazil national team from 2016-2019) helped because we had that trust and then the decision was up to him.”
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Battle of the Brazilians in North London
Jesus will come up against his Brazilian compatriot Richarlison when Arsenal host their rivals on the weekend on the back of the Spurs forward netting three times for his country over the international break.
Spurs signed Richarlison in the summer after seemingly missing out on Jesus but the former Everton man has been keeping the Arsenal star out of the Brazil squad despite having yet to score in the Premier League for his new side.
🗣️ Gabriel Jesus: “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." #afc [@ESPNBrasil] pic.twitter.com/tZXqltU0We
— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) September 29, 2022
Richarlison has made just two league starts for Spurs since his £50m move but he is still considered one of the key players for Brazil and could beat Jesus to a spot in the upcoming World Cup squad.
Despite the setback, Arteta urged Jesus and fellow absentees Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes to channel their disappointment into a good performance, saying: “I understand how they are feeling how it has hit them and how can we help them.
“They just have to put their head down and take it on the chin, try and play at the level he's been playing at to make it even harder to leave him out.'
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