Gabriel Jesus rejects injury-prone label after €10m Arsenal exit

Gabriel Jesus has rejected the suggestion that he is constantly injured after fitness concerns contributed to Barcelona's hesitation over signing him from Arsenal.

The Brazilian eventually completed a late-summer move to Barcelona for €10million (£8.7m) plus bonuses and has made an encouraging start in Spain, scoring twice in his opening four appearances.

Jesus accepts that injuries significantly disrupted the latter stages of his Arsenal career but believes the length of those absences has created a misleading impression about how frequently he suffers setbacks.

Speaking to journalist Achraf Ben Ayad, Jesus addressed the fitness questions that followed him from north London to Barcelona.

“People are going to talk about the injuries because it’s normal,” Jesus said. “My last two years had problems, but in my final season I had an injury which kept me out for a year. After that I didn’t have any more problems.”

The striker believes there is an important distinction between repeatedly suffering different injuries and spending a long period sidelined by a serious problem.

“Sometimes it seems like I’m always injured, injured, and that’s not the case,” he added. “My injuries were long ones. That’s different.”

Jesus is therefore not disputing the impact injuries had on his Arsenal career. Instead, he is challenging the perception that he was continually suffering new fitness problems.

Those concerns were relevant to Barcelona's pursuit of the striker.

Jesus had reportedly been offered to the Catalan club repeatedly over approximately nine months, much of which he spent injured.

Barcelona initially showed little interest in pursuing a summer deal and did not approach Arsenal to establish the conditions for a transfer.

Their position changed towards the end of August after they were unable to sign preferred target Julián Álvarez.

Arsenal's willingness to sanction Jesus' departure for €10m plus bonuses then helped negotiations progress quickly.

The transfer gave Jesus an opportunity to rebuild both his fitness and reputation after a difficult conclusion to his time in England.

Four appearances are not enough to provide a definitive answer to the fitness questions surrounding Jesus, but two goals represent a positive beginning to his Barcelona career.

The 29-year-old also appears delighted to have secured the move.

“I’m at a great team, a huge club with a lot of history,” he said. “Many Brazilian legends have played here.”

Jesus added that his connection with Barcelona stretches back to his childhood.

“Since I was a kid, I watched Barça playing in the Champions League. So, of course, I’m very much in love with the club.”

After struggling for consistent availability towards the end of his Arsenal career, regular football in Spain now gives Jesus the chance to challenge the injury-prone reputation that followed him to Barcelona.

His position is clear: serious injuries have cost him significant periods of his career, but he does not believe that makes him a player who is “always injured”.

Jesus now has the opportunity to reshape the narrative around his fitness through consistent availability at Barcelona. His early goals are encouraging, but a sustained run of matches will provide a much stronger test of his argument that lengthy individual injuries — rather than constant setbacks — defined the final years of his Arsenal career.