Former Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus has been mocked by an influential Brazilian media personality for choosing a transfer to “small club” Arsenal this summer.
The Gunners officially announced the signing of Jesus earlier this week, in what will no doubt be seen as an exciting move by fans of the north London club.
Still, it seems the deal maybe hasn’t gone down that well in Brazil, with Band presenter Neto, a big name in Brazilian sports media criticising the move.
See the video below as Neto mocks Arsenal for being a small club, asking what they’ve won in recent years, and suggesting Jesus could now lose his place in the Brazilian national team…
“I saw that Gabriel Jesus went to Arsenal. Small club. Small club. Portuguesa Santista are bigger than Arsenal. Arsenal have won what in the last five years?” asked Neto.
“Then Gabriel Jesus, who broke through at Palmeiras, five years at Manchester City, two years without scoring for the Brazilian national team, do you think he deserves to go to the World Cup? Or Gabigol? Who is good at ball? Who’s been scoring a lot of goals for five years?”
Arsenal are a big name in English football, though it is true that their best history is increasingly quite a long way behind them now.
It’s harsh to simply brand them a “small club”, which isn’t really accurate, though it’s fair to question Jesus’ decision, especially if he had offers to play for a team with Champions League football.
Mikel Arteta’s side narrowly missed out on a place in the top four last season and it won’t be easy for them to get in ahead of rivals Tottenham next term either.