Gabriel Jesus turned down Tottenham Hotspur in favour of more game time at Arsenal
According to CBS Sports’ Ben Jacobs (h/t football.london), Gabriel Jesus turned down a move to Tottenham Hotspur in favour of Arsenal for more game time. Spurs had made a move for the Brazilian striker, but the 25-year-old was worried about his role with the Lilywhites.
The Gunners lost Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexander Lacazette this year and Mikel Arteta had Eddie Nketiah as his only striking option before getting Jesus. At Manchester City, the Brazilian came off the bench 60 times in his 159 Premier League appearances scoring 58 and assisting 32 goals.
The Brazilian was worried about being on the bench at Tottenham as well with the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min being the focal points of the team. And with the World Cup at the end of the year, regular game time is important for someone like Jesus to get into Tite’s squad going to Qatar.
Getting into Spurs’ starting XI difficult
There’s no doubt about the quality the Brazilian striker possesses but getting into the starting XI ahead of Kane and Son is a monumental task.
And it’s not just the two captains of their respective nations attackers have to worry about to get into the Spurs side; Dejan Kulusevski is also a worthy forward, as he’s proven in his time in North London.
Kulusevski has 13 goal contributions in 20 games for Tottenham since arriving from Juventus in January. The 22-year-old has taken English football by storm. Ivan Perisic is another winger who’s been added to the squad this summer, signing for free after leaving Inter Milan.
With Richarlison having signed for the Lilywhites as well, Antonio Conte has a ton of attacking options to choose from. The former Evertonian competes with Richarlison for a place in the Brazilian squad and will be looking to get off to a fast start with Spurs.
Even though Tottenham boast Champions League football next season, the strength and competition in certain areas of the team will undoubtedly make potential signings think twice before signing.
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Fans will feel it’s best that Jesus decided against coming to Spurs instead of having an unhappy player on the bench. A berth in the starting XI is not guaranteed with the Lilywhites and with the vacancy in the attacking position at the Emirates, the Brazilian made his choice.
