Gabriel Jesus responds to Arsenal exit talk with huge admission that will split Gunners fans | OneFootball

Gabriel Jesus has named the club he will most likely sign for after leaving Arsenal, but has moved to play down talk of a move going through any time soon, while Mikel Arteta has revealed how he plans to integrate the star back into his team over the coming weeks.

The Brazilian has been sidelined since mid-January when he tore his ACL during the FA Cup exit to Manchester United, but made his long-awaited return to first-team training earlier this month after a gruelling 10 months of rehab. Now, Gabriel Jesus is hoping to get his career back on track after seeing injuries slow down his progress in recent times.

Indeed, the 28-year-old has missed 82 matches for Arsenal since joining in a £45m move from Manchester City in summer 2022, close to the same number he has played in, where his record currently reads 26 goals in 96 appearances.

Those injury woes ultimately saw Mikel Arteta spend big money on Viktor Gyokeres this summer and, with the Swede in decent form since his arrival, speculation has claimed the Gunners are open to the Brazilian’s sale when the January window opens for business.

However, Jesus himself insists now is not the right time to leave, despite the fact his contract at Emirates Stadium will expire in summer 2027.

“Coming back from such a complex surgery, it doesn’t make sense for me to leave Arsenal now,” he told Brazilian outlet Somos Fanaticos.

And while openly admitting that when he does leave, it will likely be for his first club, Palmeiras, Jesus says the constant speculation around his future is a source of frustration to him.

“When I feel it’s time to return to Palmeiras, I’ll decide that with Arsenal, but we’re talking about a player who’s been out for nine months and is now fighting to get back into the team, and there are journalists who are talking without any basis whatsoever,” Jesus lamented.

Arsenal fans will be torn over Gabriel Jesus as Arteta speaks out

While not exactly producing prolific numbers for Arsenal, the player is a popular player with both his teammates and Arteta, who appreciate the star’s sacrifices for the good of the team.

But with his importance reducing off the back of a series of injuries, and with a contract due to expire in just over 18 months, we are surely now witnessing a player in the final months of his time with Arsenal.

To that end, supporters may feel that, with time ticking on his arrangement and little chance of an extension, Arsenal should sell the player at the first opportunity to maximise their value.

However, despite having Mikel Merino as a very competent Plan B option, it emerged last week that Arteta is willing to block a potential exit in the January window as the player feels his way back into the game.

Now Arteta himself has spoken out on how he plans to integrate the 64-times capped Brazil striker back into his first-team thinking.

“[He is] a player that is very unpredictable, full of energy, super competitive, a player that comes from a context of difficulty in the last few seasons for various nasty injuries,” said Arteta.

“So the level of hunger and desire that he’s going to bring to the team is going to be amazing.

“So I’m thrilled to have him, I think he’s going to add something extra to the team that we don’t have and make sure that very soon we see him on that pitch making an impact for the team.

“We haven’t had them [all fit], and now we don’t have Viktor, and we haven’t had Kai again for three months or many forwards, and unfortunately, that’s becoming something that consistently is happening. So we need those options, and what an option to have with Gabi.”

Latest Arsenal news: Huge Elliot Anderson claims; Dowman makes headlines again

Meanwhile, TEAMtalk can reveal Nottingham Forest’s stance on losing star midfielder Elliot Anderson in January amid reports Arsenal are determined to beat Manchester United to the signing of the England international and make him a key figure in Arteta’s team.

Elsewhere, with Arteta about to enter the final 18 months of his Arsenal contract, sources have explained why the club has absolutely no reason to be concerned over their manager’s future and despite a series of other deals taking priority instead.

Finally, Arsenal record-breaker Max Dowman has been making headlines again, this time on international duty with England’s Under-19s, while David Raya has named the one ‘incredible’ comparison the Gunners sensation has with Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal.