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£45m Arsenal player says he’s ready to put his ‘ego’ aside and play in a different position
An Arsenal player has announced that he is ready to drop his ‘ego’ and play in a different position for Mikel Arteta for the remainder of this season.
The business end of the campaign is here, and Arsenal are fighting to win two different competitions – the Premier League and the Champions League. In what is a big boost for the North Londoners, every single player trained with the first team yesterday.
That gives Arteta all the options he needs to use his squad however he sees fit, and that means some players will have to settle for a spot on the bench or play in unnatural positions.
One player has now claimed that he is prepared to do the latter for Arsenal.
Arsenal player says he’s ready to drop his ‘ego’ and play in a different position
One of the things that make Arsenal such a strong team is their versatility.
A number of players in their squad are capable of playing in more than one position. Some can even play four or five different roles, which is just extraordinary.
With everyone available now, Mikel Arteta can make all sorts of changes to his side – not just in terms of personnel but also with their positions.
One player who had dropped out of the Arsenal side but has now been brought back in a different position is Gabriel Jesus.
The Brazilian, who is naturally a striker, has started on the left wing in each of the Gunners’ last two games in the Premier League.
In a press conference yesterday, Jesus was asked about his new role and whether he enjoys playing in an unnatural position.
The 26-year-old claimed that he cannot complain at this stage of the season and is ready to drop his ego and play wherever Arteta wants him.
He said, as relayed on : “I don’t want to come here and say ‘okay, Gabi doesn’t care about playing as a winger and then his position is normally nine’. Like I said, this part of the season, I have never complained.
“I just want to work and when I get my chance, I’ll show the manager, everyone, myself as well, the reason why I have to play.
“This part of the season, I put my ego aside and I just help the best way and do what the manager asks and wants. And then I’ll help the team in the best way.”
What Pep Guardiola has said about Gabriel Jesus playing as a winger
Gabriel Jesus has mainly played as a striker for Arsenal since he joined the club before the start of last season, but he started out wide on plenty of occasions during his time at Manchester City.
The £45 million () man has shown his class up front for Arsenal. When he is at his best, he is a real handful for defenders and creates chaos in and around the box almost every time.
However, with Kai Havertz playing so well as a number nine for Arsenal, there is no place for Jesus up top, which is why Mikel Arteta has pushed him out wide.
The former Manchester City man is not as exciting as Gabriel Martinelli or Bukayo Saka on the wing, but he is still capable of producing a good performance there.
Pep Guardiola, who is arguably the greatest manager in football, once even revealed that Jesus actually likes playing out wide and is better there than as a number nine.
Speaking in August 2021, the Spaniard told about Jesus: “He is a player who likes to play wider than central positions.
“I spoke to Gabriel and he likes to play in the wider positions … Some players when they get the ball in more wide positions, their body shape is more open and they have more time to make the right decision.
“When you play central it is more difficult to get good balls playing so so central… Gabriel is better getting balls wider.”