Gabriel Jesus' departure from Manchester City in 2022 came as a surprise to many, but for him, it had been brewing for months. Despite his versatility and Pep Guardiola's praise for his ability to play any position, Jesus felt sidelined by tactical decisions, ultimately leading him to seek a new challenge at Arsenal.
There was an element of shock when Gabriel Jesus left Manchester City in 2022, but in his mind it had been coming for a few months.
Ironically, Jesus had spent years trying to become City's main central striker amid stiff competition from Sergio Aguero. Yet when Aguero left, Jesus declared an ambition to play more on the wing, leaving City without a recognised striker before Haaland's arrival. "There was a Champions League game, PSG, at home, in which he put Zinchenko as a false nine. Crazy thing," Jesus said in 2023. "The day before, he didn't even use him in training, he had put me in as a striker... Zinchenko even joked with me: 'that day I felt bad for you.'
That game was one of Jesus' more influential at City, the striker developing a useful knack of scoring big goals in big matches. But the nature of his selection on the bench ensured it was in fact the beginning of the end for Jesus at the Etihad. He just needed somewhere to go that summer. “The thing was the way he understood football and what he wanted. It’s up to you whether you accept it or not. If you don’t accept it, it’s ‘thank you’ and we’re off to another challenge. There came a moment when I said: ‘I want something else for myself’."
“It’s different here at Arsenal. It’s different football, there are different players, different ways of playing," he said in September 2022. "At City it was different.
Gabriel Jesus Manchester City Arsenal Pep Guardiola Erling Haaland
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rio Ferdinand claims Man Utd flop would be 'perfect' for Arsenal or Man CityRio Ferdinand believes a Manchester United flop would be 'perfect' for Arsenal or Manchester City.
Read more »
What Premier League managers have said about Man City's 115 chargesLatest Manchester City news as Premier League clubs await the outcome of City's independent hearing
Read more »
The Greater Manchester town where rent prices are rising faster than ManchesterZoopla's latest property report has named the town amongst the UK's six strongest rental markets
Read more »
Ilkay Gundogan: Manchester City re-sign former captain from BarcelonaIlkay Gundogan completes Manchester City return after 12 months at Barcelona.
Read more »
Manchester Pride 2024 latest Met Office forecast after Storm Lilian batters cityIt's been a windy start to Friday - but how will the rest of the weekend look?
Read more »
Ilkay Gundogan: Manchester City re-sign former captain from BarcelonaIlkay Gundogan completes Manchester City return after 12 months at Barcelona.
Read more »