Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus says he still desires to someday return to his boyhood club Palmeiras, but ‘it doesn’t make sense’ to depart the Gunners just yet.
Jesus has scored 26 goals in 96 appearances for the Gunners since his £45m move from Manchester City in 2022.
The Brazilian was a key player on the Emirates Stadium during his first two years in north London but a mixture of fitness problems and poor form have seen the attacker drop down the pecking order in north London.
A torn ACL has kept Jesus sidelined since January, with the 28-year-old yet to feature this term and only just returning to full first-team training in the previous few weeks.
Viktor Gyokeres arrived from Sporting Lisbon over the summer to supply Jesus with more competition, and up to date reports had suggested that Arsenal are ‘open’ to offers for Jesus ahead of the January transfer window.
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But Jesus said he shouldn’t be in search of an exit from north London just yet, telling Brazilian outlet Revista Placar: ‘Getting back from such a posh surgery, it doesn’t make sense for me to depart Arsenal now.’
Jesus is under contract on the Emirates until June 2027, and has not shied away from his desire to someday return to Palmeiras, his boyhood club where he made his skilled debut in 2015.
The Brazilian club have made public their desire to bring Jesus back, with the striker insisting that a return stays his ‘desire’ in the longer term.
‘I’ve never had contact with one other club, and my desire, as I say, is to return to Palmeiras, and Palmeiras’ desire is for me to return to Palmeiras,’ he said.
‘Once I feel it’s time to return to Palmeiras, I’ll resolve that with Arsenal, but we’re talking a few player who’s been out for nine months and is now fighting to get back into the team, and there are journalists who’re talking with none basis in any respect.’
As Jesus continues to step up his recovery in training, the forward will look to supply competition for Gyokeres and Kai Havertz within the central striker role.
And Mikel Arteta believes the four-time Premier League winner still has plenty to supply the squad.
‘[He is] a player that could be very unpredictable, filled with energy, super competitive, a player that comes from a context of difficulty in the previous few seasons for various nasty injuries,’ said Arteta.
‘So the extent of hunger and desire that he’s going to bring to the team goes to be amazing.
‘So I’m thrilled to have him, I feel he’s going so as to add something extra to the team that we don’t have and be sure that 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 3 months or many forwards, and unfortunately that’s becoming something that consistently is going on. So we’d like those options, and what an choice to have with Gabi.’
Arsenal face a key run of fixtures after the international break, hosting Tottenham and Bayern Munich before a visit to tackle Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
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