September 30, (THEWILL) – After becoming dissatisfied with his position at the Etihad, Gabriel Jesus has acknowledged that he was forced to quit Manchester City and Pep Guardiola in the summer.
Following Sergio Aguero’s departure, the Brazilian regularly featured up front, starting 21 English Premier League games and contributing to eight goals and an equal number of assists.
The 25-year-old has shown signs of renewed energy this season, and he acknowledged that part of that is due to feeling “free” in north London under Mikel Arteta. He also said he had grown weary of City’s brand of play.
“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. 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, who Arsenal signed in the summer to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and team backup striker Eddie Nketiah, has already scored four goals to help the Gunners climb to the top of the table with six victories in their last seven games. They will hope to remain on top when they meet Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday’s north London derby.
