In an exclusive interview with ‘The Denilson Show’ podcast, Gabriel Jesus, who is now shining at Arsenal after spending almost five years with Manchester City, has finally lifted the lid on his reasons for leaving his former club during last year’s transfer window. And it is clear that Pep Guardiola is part of it, or more precisely, his tactical choices.
During this episode, Jesus admitted that certain decisions made by his coach had pushed him to seek a new base at all costs. Especially after a Champions League night where the Spaniard fielded a left-back (Zinchenko) in his place in attack. This was for him the straw that broke the camel’s back.
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“It’s crazy”
“There was a Champions League game. We were playing PSG at home and he played Zinchenko as a fake number 9. It’s crazy. The day before, he had not even used it during training, he had placed me as an attacker. Zinchenko even joked, ‘I felt sorry for you that day,'” Jesus explained.
Following this episode, Jesus explains that his decision to leave was made: “Two hours before the match, there was a team meeting, then the team ate and rested for 30 minutes before going in the field… I didn’t even take the time to eat. I went straight to my room crying. I called my mother to tell her: ‘I want to leave’. I’m going home because he preferred Zinchenko over me. He put in a left-back as a striker.”
