Gabriel Jesus has no intention of leaving Arsenal despite speculation linking him with a move away. The Brazilian is instead hoping to awaken a “sleeping giant” of English football by winning the Premier League.
The Gunners have a slender two-point advantage over eight-time winners Manchester City heading into the final weekend of action before Christmas, but could end up trailing their bitter rivals if they drop points against Everton and City beat struggling West Ham.
Jesus has had a watching brief for the vast majority of the season and most of 2025 as a whole. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee back in January, and only returned to action on Dec. 10 in the 3–0 win over Club Bruges in the Champions League.
Arsenal have significantly strengthened their attacking options in the time that Jesus has been injured, bringing in Viktor Gyökeres and Noni Madueke, and there’s been suggestions that the 28-year-old could look to leave Emirates Stadium to reignite his career.
But in an extensive interview with The Players’ Tribune, part of the Minute Media network, Jesus has pledged his future to Arsenal and is focused on helping the club end their 22-year Premier League title drought.
Jesus: No Intention of Leaving Arsenal
“I feel that I have unfinished business at Arsenal, I don’t want to leave,” Jesus said.
“When I came here to join Mikel [Arteta], my purpose was not only to score goals. My purpose was to win titles. When I came to the Premier League, I think most people’s reaction was, ‘Oh? Who is this kid?’ They looked at me as a pure goalscorer. But that’s not how I see myself. My strongest trait is that I will do whatever it takes to help the team win titles.
“At City, I played many roles. I shared the goal scoring load with [Sergio] Agüero sometimes. Other times, I played out on the wing. And other times, I used my physicality to link up play. I think that’s why Mikel brought me here, years ago. I don’t always need to be the No. 9 to help the team.
“I am here [at Arsenal] to make history. When I got called to the main team at Palmeiras, when I was 18, they hadn’t won the Brazilian league in 22 years. We woke up the “sleeping giant” and won the title, and now they can’t stop winning. I go back there sometimes, and I walk the halls at the club, and all you see are trophies, trophies, trophies.”
“I think it can be the same at Arsenal,” he continued. “We can wake up the sleeping giant. I have worked with Mikel since I came to this country, and I know what he demands from me. It’s the same as he demands from the chef. Everything, every day.
“With this manager and this squad, we can do it. I trust my football. I trust God’s plan. And I know that if I get a chance, I can help the team with the league.”
Jesus: My World Crumbled After Knee Injury
Jesus had been in decent goalscoring form when his 2024–25 campaign was brought to a shuddering halt.
A hat-trick against Crystal Palace in the quarterfinal of the Carabao Cup—a fixture that will be repeated this season—was the highlight, but that joyous occasion was swiftly forgotten about when Jesus crumped to the ground against Man Utd.
“This has been the most surreal year of my life. Just when I felt like I was back to playing my best football, I felt a snap against United, and my world crumbled,” Jesus reflected. “But I believe that God wouldn’t give me a challenge that I couldn’t come back stronger from. He gave me many blessings to get me through it: My wife, my children, my teammates, and the medical staff at Arsenal, who have been amazing.
“People have asked, ‘Why don’t you just leave? Why don’t you go to Saudi? Or back home to Brazil?’
“One day, I would love for everything to come full circle with Palmeiras, but not today.”
Arteta Wouldn’t Sell Jesus Anyway
One of Mikel Arteta’s consistent messages in Arsenal news conferences over the past 18 months to two years has been the need for additional strength in depth.
To that end, the Gunners have addressed a number of problem areas in their squad and now boast an expanded talent of pool of players, capable of rotating in to cover injuries or to simply provide rest with the fixture calendar as congested as it has ever been.
Of course, Gabriel Jesus. And I’ll say more. Soon you’re coming back home, Gabriel! One day you’ll return.Leila Pereira, Palmeiras president
It’s perhaps for that reason that Arteta has spoken publicly of his desire for Jesus to stay—Palmeiras and River Plate have been linked—even though he has Gyökeres, Madueke, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz and, although not his favoured position, Mikel Merino as his forward line options.
“No, I don't consider that and especially with the situation we have right now,” the Spaniard confidently claimed last week while addressing reporters. “I think Gabi has a lot to offer to the team and he is proving that straight away in the first minutes that he was available to play. He has put so much [in] to be in this position again and now the focus is to be with us.
“A player of his quality, a player who has given us so much and when he comes with the energy he did the other day, he is certainly a player who has to be pushing and aiming [to start], that's for sure.”
READ THE LATEST ARSENAL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND MORE
- Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Everton: Saka to Sparkle in Crucial Title Test
- Comeback Arsenal Star Has ‘Unfinished Business’ After World ‘Crumbled’
- Chelsea ‘Submit Bid’ for Arsenal Striker Target Ahead of January Transfer Window
- Mikel Arteta Makes Viktor Gyokeres Prediction After Slow Start
- Transfer Rumors: Man Utd Hold Vinicius Jr Meeting; Salah’s Liverpool Exit Agreement
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Comeback Arsenal Star Has ‘Unfinished Business’ After World ‘Crumbled’.
