“I spoke to him, and he promised to help us win champions league this season”: Gabriel Jesus is buzzing for Mikel Arteta’s £72m summer signing

Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has revealed a very special request to play in the Champions League, which he has fulfilled with teammate Kai Havertz.

The duo played a famous duel in the 2021 final in Porto, when Jesus’ Manchester City narrowly lost to Premier League rivals Chelsea, and Havertz scored the only goal in Thomas Tuchel’s 1-0 victory. The former City player moved from Manchester to London the following season, while 24-year-old Havertz completed his move to the Emirates earlier this year.

After both scoring clinical goals in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Brighton on Sunday at the Emirates, Mikel Arteta’s men will now take on Portugal’s FC Porto in the last 16, with the main task of ending a three-year wait for a major trophy this season.

The Canaries, who received a favorable draw, last played in the Portuguese league in 2010, winning 6-1 on aggregate and qualifying for the quarter-finals. Hoping for the same result this season, Havertz and Jesus’ recent influence can only be a potential boost.

When asked what the German international has brought to Mikel Arteta’s team this season, Jesus replied in a typically joking manner: ”A lot, we always joke about him winning the Champions League against me, and I always say I want to win it with him!”

”We always joke [about it], but now I want to win with him and Jorginho. He is an incredible player and the way he plays, he is so strong and tall, he helps us a lot with his quality as well. ‘Quiet like me, he always fights and helps the team, and the way this guy has come in is huge. We are very happy to have him.