One thing is making Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus very happy right now, and it’s not his return from injury.
It’s been a gruelling year for the Brazilian, who shortly after rediscovering form, suffered an ACL injury which required surgery to resolve.
After a lengthy time away from the Arsenal squad, at long last, Jesus is nearing his return from injury, coming at the perfect time with so much to play for.
Despite transfer rumours linking Jesus to Palmeiras, the 28-year-old’s eyes are firmly on what he can achieve at Arsenal, but that doesn’t mean that the Brazilian club aren’t on his mind.
Gabriel Jesus has a rivalry with Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli about Palmeiras and Corinthians
Despite leaving Palmeiras in 2017 to make the move to Manchester City, the forward remains close to his former club.
Jesus was training at Palmeiras’ facilities during his road to recovery, and upon returning to Colney, talk about the Sao Paulo club hasn’t faded.
In an interview with Brazilian magazine PLACAR in October, Jesus revealed the ‘banter’ he has with Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli about the Palmeiras and Corinthians rivalry.
“The banter is important, but there isn’t really much banter [with Corinthians fans] because there’s really no way to have banter, right?
“Palmeiras is on another level today. They’re always fighting,” he added.
Gabriel and Martinelli are both Corinthians fans, who are huge rivals of Palmeiras, with the Derby Paulista being a spectacle in Sao Paulo.
Right now, there’s a good chance that the rivalry between the Arsenal players is fiercer than ever, as Jesus’ favourite club Palmeiras sit top of the Brazilian Serie A table, while Corinthians are 13th.
Just like the Arsenal and Tottenham dynamic, Jesus has the upper hand right now, but the striker previously maintained that the banter between him and his teammates is balanced.
“The banter is the same as always, from fan to fan. I defend mine, and they defend theirs, and everything’s fine. I tease them, they tease me.”
Gabriel Magalhaes dreams of playing for Corinthians
The three players’ loyalties lie with Arsenal, but that hasn’t stopped Gabriel from expressing his dreams to represent the club of his heart.
Gabriel openly admitted that it’s his dream to play for Corinthians, stating in 2024 that he’d join the club in a heartbeat.
“It’s my dream, I want to play for Corinthians, I want to feel that energy. It’s something to be thought about. Sometimes I stop and think. ‘Do you have a dream to play for Corinthians?’. I have. ‘When would you play at Corinthians?’. For me, tomorrow I’d be at Corinthians.
“I hope not to delay because I want, as soon as possible, to feel the energy of that crowd, which is incredible.”
For now, Gabriel’s future is committed to Arsenal, with whom he just signed a new contract, but it’s already so clear who the defender’s next club might be.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
