Gabriel Jesus has revealed that he will be playing as a centre-forward at Arsenal after the club confirmed his transfer on Monday morning.
Jesus has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium over the last few months and the north Londoners officially unveiled their new number nine on Monday morning following a £45m transfer from Manchester City. The Brazilian international becomes the Gunners' fourth signing of the summer following deals for Matt Turner, Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos.
The 25-year-old predominantly operated centrally during his time with Pep Guardiola's side, although the former Barcelona boss opted to play him out wide last season, raising some doubt over what position Jesus would play under Mikel Arteta's tutelage. However, the player has now confirmed that he will be a central striker at Arsenal.
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Speaking about his preferred position to the club's official media team, the former Palmeiras star said: "I'm a number nine! I'm a striker and I thank God every day that I can be alive, and that I can play in three of four different positions but I think my position is nine."
Arteta also made it no secret of his admiration for the player, adding: “I’m very excited. The club has done a tremendous job to recruit a player of this stature.
"I know Gabriel personally very well, and we all know him well from his time in the Premier League and being really successful here. This is a position that’s been on our radar for a long time now and we have managed to get a player that we all wanted, so I’m really happy.”
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