Arsenal are set to announce the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City after the Brazilian completed his medical in London on Tuesday.
Jesus joins Arsenal on a five-year deal, after the two Premier League rivals agreed a deal worth £45million for the striker. It's been an inspiring journey for the 25-year-old, who joined City at the age of just 19 after being signed from Brazilian side Palmerias.
The four-time Premier League winner is now ready to become Arsenal's main man, and was always keen to reunite with Mikel Arteta after the pair developed a close relationship while the Spaniard was at City. But it hasn't always been sunshine and rainbows for Jesus, as just nine years ago he was seen painting in the streets of Sao Paulo.
Jesus wasn't any different to the standard teenager growing up in Brazil. He was very much in tune with the streets, and of course, like the rest of the nation, absolutely obsessed with football.
Kids continue to roam the streets while imitating their footballing icons, and they're not short of those in Brazil. Due to the deep love for football in the country though, very few make it from Brazil. But as we have seen over the generations, the ones that do are world-class.
Before being given a youth contract at Palmerias in 2013, Jesus was pictured painting the streets of his neighbourhood, playing and having fun with the other children on what was a standard day for the Brazilian. Nine years on, he's set to become Arsenal's new no.9 as Arteta's 'process' continues.
Jesus took his opportunity at Palmerias with open arms, scoring 54 goals in 48 matches for their youth side in his first season. 37 goals in 22 games came the following year, and offers started to creep in. In 2015, Jesus made his senior debut at the age of just 17, and ended up scoring 21 goals in 67 matches for the first team before City came calling.
The Brazilian was unveiled in January 2017 to the City faithful, and became an instant hit yet again. He became the first City player to score and assist on their debut for the club, and finished the season with seven goals in 11 games for Pep Guardiola's side.
But Jesus hasn't been without his hardships, as a broken metatarsal in his right foot stalled his City progression, and just when he was getting back to form a knee medial ligament injury kept him out for a further 14 Premier League games. Jesus missed a large part of the 2017/18 season, but ironically it was in that campaign that the Brazilian had one of his most iconic moments.
Jesus returned towards the end of the season, and on the final day City needed to win in order to become the first team to ever break the 100 point barrier in the Premier League. The Brazilian netted a 94th minute winner against Southampton to score the final goal of that Premier League season, and in doing so City reached 100 points in style.
The Brazilian was rewarded with a contract extension in August 2018, and a year later he was handed the iconic no.9 jersey, switching from his previous no.33. While wearing his new number, Jesus recorded his best Premier League season, scoring 14 goals in a career-high 34 appearances.
Jesus has remained an important part of City's back-to-back title winning campaigns over the past two seasons, but the incoming arrival of Erling Haaland signalled that it could be time to become the main man elsewhere, rather than staying at City to be a utility player.
City are filled with stars, and his exit is in no way down to his lack of ability. But the opportunity to lead the line at Arsenal was irresistible for Jesus, who will reunite with former coach and friend Arteta in the process.
"He is a fantastic guy and fantastic manager," Jesus said when speaking about Arteta. And the Brazilian also praised the former City coach for helping him before Arteta left to join Arsenal in 2019. "When I want to do finishing after training, I tell him and he comes and helps me. So he is really fantastic for us. All the players know that — everyone knows that in the club."
Arsenal is the next step in the journey for Jesus, who is looking to add individual success to his portfolio along with team accolades. The future is looking bright for Arsenal, and Jesus could be the man to take them to the next level under Arteta.
