The Brazilian forward shared his story on the Denilson Show YouTube channel hosted by former Brazilian international Denilson on July 6th. According to Jesus, the turning point that led him to make the decision to leave Man City was the Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain in November 2021.
“It was crazy. The day before, Guardiola didn’t even use Zinchenko in training and put me as the striker,” Jesus recalled. “Two hours before the game, he announced the starting lineup while the team was eating and resting for 30 minutes before the match. I didn’t eat, went straight to the room, cried, and called my mom to tell her that I wanted to leave. Guardiola played a left-back as a striker, and that drove me crazy. Even Zinchenko felt sorry for me.”
In that game, after Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring for PSG, Jesus came on as a substitute for Zinchenko. The Brazilian striker then provided an assist and scored the winning goal in the 76th minute, securing a 2-1 victory. “I didn’t warm up,” he added. “I felt terrible. After Mbappe scored, Guardiola called me. I came on, provided an assist, and scored, helping Man City come from behind. In the next game against RB Leipzig, I thought I would play. But no. It wasn’t easy, and that’s when I decided to leave.”
Jesus joined Manchester City from Palmeiras for a fee of nearly $35 million in 2017 when he was 19 years old. He scored 95 goals in 236 appearances, winning four Premier League titles, three League Cups, one FA Cup, and two FA Community Shields with the club. Jesus also reached the UEFA Champions League final in the 2020-2021 season but lost 0-1 to Chelsea at the Estadio do Dragao in Portugal.
After moving to Arsenal in the summer of 2022 in a five-year contract worth £55 million, he made an immediate positive impact. Despite injuries, the Brazilian striker played 26 matches in the Premier League, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists. His explosive performances in the early stages helped Arsenal excel, at one point trailing Manchester City by only eight points.
However, towards the end of the season, Arsenal’s form declined, with three draws and three defeats in their final ten matches, resulting in them missing out on the title to Guardiola’s team. Jesus believes the key turning point of the season was the injury to center-back William Saliba. “When Saliba played, we conceded fewer goals. When Saliba was absent, the number of goals conceded increased,” he said.
According to Jesus, during his knee injury and three-month break after the 2022 World Cup, Eddie Nketiah performed well. The signing of Leandro Trossard in the winter transfer window also helped stabilize Arsenal’s attacking line. However, in Saliba’s absence, the team struggled as the replacements couldn’t maintain the same level of effectiveness. “Just look at the statistics, Arsenal conceded fewer goals with Saliba,” emphasized the Brazilian forward.
Saliba has rejoined Arsenal for pre-season, participating in light training sessions on the field and completing physical exercises in the gym. The 22-year-old defender is expected to be in top form for the 2023-2024 season. He has also agreed to a contract extension until 2027 and is set to officially sign a new deal with Arsenal this week.
When asked about working with Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, Jesus replied, “Arteta wants us to play aggressively. Arsenal has a young squad, so he wants us to keep running.”
