After netting twice in his first Gunners game to help see off 1. FC Nurnberg, Gabriel Jesus admitted that his new club already feels like home.
The Brazilian striker came off the bench at the break with his side trailing 2-0, and within 60 seconds found himself on the scoresheet, which was quickly followed by a second. His presence also forced the hosts' defence into two own goals, which eventually helped the visitors claim a 5-3 victory.
Post-match, he revealed that the secret to his fast start as a Gunner was the welcome he had received this week, and his excitement of being at his new club.
"I'm so, so proud. I’m proud to be here at this big club," he said.
"I’ve completed four or five days together with the lads, and I just want to say thank you to everyone at Arsenal because they make me feel at home. Everyone is talking, coming to me and saying ‘good luck, we are happy to have you here’, and I’m happy to be here as well. That makes me feel at home."
It was Jesus' first minutes of pre-season, and excitingly for Gunners fans, he believes there is much more to come once he gains match sharpness and becomes used to playing with his new teammates, whom he was impressed with for their desire to overturn a two-goal deficit.
"I’m feeling good," he said about his fitness levels. "Sometimes it’s hard because I had more than 20 days without running, without doing anything, just trying to get some sleep with my new baby and my girlfriend!
"Today was a difficult first half. We have to understand a little bit because we had young players, and they are a strong team. They played long ball, so it was difficult for us. But at the end we came back, and because everyone is together like a team, we did it."
Looking ahead to the rest of pre-season, which includes a tour in the USA and an Emirates Cup clash with Sevilla, Jesus is itching to get more game time under his belt, and play in front of our supporters on home turf for the first time as the 2022/23 season creeps ever closer.
"I’ve just come to be part of this amazing club, amazing team, and then to win together," he added. "I believe a lot in the project at this club. I can’t wait to play, at our amazing stadium."
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
