Gabriel Jesus has revealed that Arsenal team-mate Oleksandr Zinchenko ‘wanted to kill him’ after a joke about his Premier League title contributions during their time together at Manchester City. The former City duo won four titles during their spell at the Etihad Stadium under Pep Guardiola and now, after joining the Gunners, they are on the brink of adding a fifth.
Jesus and Zinchenko arrived at the Emirates Stadium at the start of this season, helping to transform Arsenal into genuine title challengers. Heading into the final nine fixtures of the season, the Gunners sit eight points clear of their nearest rivals, but still have a number of obstacles to hurdle if they are to lift their first Premier League title since 2004.
However, Jesus and Zinchenko have both had their fair share of injuries this season, with Jesus sidelined for three months with a knee injury he sustained during the World Cup. Despite this, Zinchenko has been a revelation as Arsenal’s number one choice at left-back, and Jesus has now opened up on how the Ukrainian ‘wanted to kill him’ after a joke about his Premier League title contributions.
Speaking to Footballers Lives on TikTok, Jesus said: ‘I think Alex [Zinchenko] is the king of joking. All the time he just jokes with someone. One day he was like saying things you know, joking like ‘ah, I won four Premier Leagues you know and then the last one I give to you’. He says; ‘that last one, last season, I came on against Villa, we were 2-0 down’. He came on and honestly he changed a little bit the game you know because he received the ball, attack and he gave an assist.
‘He just said that ‘I gave you one trophy, one Premier League, because of me, you have four’. I said ‘listen, okay, I accept that but in four Premier Leagues, you only start 20 games’. He wants to kill me.’
Zinchenko had an immediate impact on the Arsenal team, quickly establishing himself as an integral part of the side, and it was his influence that helped to tempt Jesus to the Emirates.
Speaking last summer, Zinchenko said: ‘To be honest, we are close to each other and I love him so much. He’s my big friend and I would like to say that he was also involved in the discussion and all these things. He told me about the good things about this amazing club and this atmosphere and about the guys and everyone here so I’m really impressed and so happy.’
The combination of Jesus and Zinchenko has been key to Arsenal’s success this season, and if the Gunners can hold their nerve in the title race, it could be the Ukrainian’s joke that leads Arsenal to their first Premier League title in 17 years.
