Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli has revealed that he and teammate Gabriel Magalhaes made efforts to convince Gabriel Jesus to join the Gunners instead of Chelsea.
Chelsea reportedly made an attempt to snatch Gabriel Jesus from the north London side in the days before he officially signed for the Gunners this summer.
Jesus, 25, and his representatives were already intent on a move to the Emirates Stadium from Manchester City. However, the Blues still might have snagged the transfer if the striker’s teammates hadn’t interfered (via Football.London).
Speaking about the event on the podcast Wrighty’s House, the Brazilian shared what he told his compatriot Jesus. He said:
“In the national team, I was [saying] every day, ‘Gabi, you’re my teammate already, come to us [Arsenal], we need you.’ Gab [Gabriel] as well, big Gabi [was joining in].”
Chelsea eventually failed in their attempt to sign Jesus and ended up signing Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.
The Gunners now have a number of Brazil internationals in their squad, including Martinelli, Jesus and Magalhaes. This connection is expected to help the club thrive on the pitch in the upcoming season.
Under Mikel Arteta’s leadership, the Gunners are set to compete in the Europa League in the 2022-23 season along with domestic competitions. Their fans will be expecting Jesus and his teammates to lead them to the trophy.
He has started off well with Arteta’s side, scoring four goals in four matches in the pre-season so far.