Gabriel Jesus names Arsenal star he 'followed' while growing up

Gabriel Jesus, who recently sealed a permanent move to Arsenal, has claimed that he used to idolize legendary striker Thierry Henry during his childhood.

The 25-year-old, who became Arsenal's fourth summer signing, joined the Gunners from Manchester City for a fee of £45 million. He has penned a five-year deal at the Emirates Stadium.

During the 2021-22 season, Jesus featured in 41 matches for the Premier League champions, registering 13 goals and 12 assists across all competitions. He is now expected to shoulder the responsibility of leading the attack at the north London club alongside fellow frontman Eddie Nketiah.

Speaking on Arsenal's official website, Jesus opened up about his admiration for his new club. He said:

"I followed Arsenal when I was young because of Henry. Obviously, I didn’t follow too many European teams but when I saw some of the players that played here, I was like 'wow, this club is big.' When I played against Arsenal, I was looking at the Emirates and it was a very good stadium, so I'm very excited to play here."

The Brazil international also spoke about his relationship with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, who was previously at Manchester City in an assistant role. He added:

"We spoke a couple of times about the club, the players, the project and the future. I believe 100 per cent in Mikel. I had a very good time with him before, he's a very good guy and a very good coach as well."

Jesus, who arrived in England in the winter of 2017, has won four Premier League, one FA Cup and three League Cup titles during his career. During his five-and-a-half-year stay in Manchester, he scored 95 goals and provided 46 assists in 233 appearances.

Arsenal aim for more signings this summer

After completing the signings of midfielder Fabio Vieira, goalkeeper Matt Turner, forward Marquinhos and striker Gabriel Jesus, the Gunners might be hoping to bolster their squad even further.

The club are also in the hunt for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez (via Sky Sports), out-of-contract forward Paulo Dybala (via Mirror), Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio (via Daily Express), Torino centre-back Gleison Bremer (via The Sun) and Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey (via Mirror)

The Gunners will open their 2022-23 Premier League campaign away from home at Crystal Palace on August 5.