Gabriel Jesus slams critics for questioning his record after scoring in 6-0 rout of Lens – and insists he ‘doesn’t care’ about Arsenal’s interest in Ivan Toney because he ‘doesn’t miss a lot of chances’
- Gabriel Jesus scored four goals in four Champions League matches
- The Brazilian forward scored in Arsenal’s 6-0 defeat to Lens on Wednesday
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe could be the biggest threat to Erik ten Hag. Listen to why It all starts
Gabriel Jesus has hit out at critics who question his goalscoring abilities, saying he ‘doesn’t care’ about speculation linking Arsenal with other strikers.
The Brazilian scored in the Gunners’ 6-0 defeat at Lens last night, taking his Champions League tally to four goals in four games and sealing a last-16 spot for the north London club.
However, Arsenal are reported to be looking for a striker in the January transfer window.
Brentford’s Ivan Toney is highly recommended, as is Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez.
But Jesus is unfazed and compared the situation to that at Manchester City when he and Sergio Aguero were in the same team.
Gabriel Jesus has hit out at critics who question his goal-scoring ability
He said, “This happens, you know, maybe it could be cops talking about a lot of things.
‘Sometimes it is like that, it happened when I played for City, even when Aguero and I scored. I scored a lot and people linked everyone.
“So here, I don’t care. I know what my qualities are and I know what I can add to the team.
‘I can score and I can also help with other things, like opening spaces.
‘But the only people who can see it are those who watch the game and understand it. Those who don’t understand will say, “Oh, he didn’t score today.”
“But maybe I run and make room for someone and then, let’s be honest, I don’t miss many opportunities. I don’t think it’s about: “He doesn’t know how to score.”
‘Sometimes I have to spend more time in the box, that’s all I’m doing. Tonight I was more in the box.’
The Brazilian scored in Arsenal’s 6-0 defeat of Lens at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening
Arsenal and Brazilian striker Jesus has scored four goals in four Champions League games this season but has found the net just once in eight Premier League games
In Europe, the striker, who has scored 24 goals in 42 Champions League appearances, is incomparable. But this season he has scored just one goal in eight games in the Premier League.
This was obviously influenced by injury, having undergone a second knee operation in a year at the start of the campaign.
When asked about the scoring percentage in the league, he added: “I have other qualities too, but I can score, guys!
‘I know I don’t score every game, it’s not easy. Just like at Brentford, we played five at the back and there weren’t many chances.
‘I had a [chance] with my head, but it wasn’t easy.
Arsenal have been linked with a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney in January
‘People don’t see that. Sometimes people just go to the score and see who scored, they don’t see the game. I understand my game.
‘Of course I want to score every match, if possible a hat-trick! But that is not the reality.
‘In the Champions League this year I will score every match. In the Premier League I have sometimes failed to score, but I am getting better and better every day to improve that.
“When you say my name, people say different things and not just goals – so I’m happy with that – but I want to score.”
