Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has claimed that Gabriel Jesus is the "best striker/defender" he has worked with. It comes after the Brazilian made the £45million switch to Arsenal this summer as Mikel Arteta looked to solve his goal scoring problem heading into the next campaign.
The previous season saw the Spaniard miss out on a return to the top four and Champions League football. While squad depth was an issue, the most pressing place for improvements was at centre-forward, with a lack of goals and a loss of some key figures in the department.
Having worked with the 25-year-old before, Arteta brought in Jesus and claimed he was happy with the move: "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.
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"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.” While the Gunners have gained a new number nine, City have lost one and though he wasn't a guaranteed starter, Guardiola was upset to see him leave nonetheless.
The Brazilian only had one-year remaining on his deal at the Etihad Stadium and his desire for regular football and earning a place at the World Cup later this year saw a move go through. Following that, Guardiola made a huge claim about the versatile forward to the club website.
"He’s [Jesus] the best striker/defender I ever found to play in the three positions. [He] can play five minutes, he plays the best five minutes of his life. He plays 90 minutes, he will give everything. I had the feeling that in most cases we will miss him, but it’s football, it’s life, and the successes, all of them, will be our happiness.”
It's a bold claim from the manager, given the stature of players he has worked with in the past. The likes of Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski have all thrived under him during his managerial career.
However, it's clear that Guardiola values a player who can do the work off the ball as much as on it, with his pressing a key aspect of his style. That'll likely be the reason he chose him as the best striker/defender, as the first line of defence starts up front in the press.
The words of praise will be a joy for those of an Arsenal persuasion, with hopes that the striker can win just as much in north London as he did in Manchester.
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