00:00Somewhat surprisingly, Barcelona is confirming the signing of striker Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal.
00:07He had an important stint with the Brazilian national team during Tite's time as coach.
00:12He tried somehow to be in that group that went to the World Cup, but ended up not being called up by...
00:18Carlo Antilotti.
00:19Now he's going to form a partnership, probably with Rafinha at Barcelona.
00:24What did you think of this hiring?
00:27So, Dousan, Gabriel Jesus was no longer in Arsenal's plans, right?
00:31He recently suffered a serious ligament injury in his left knee, returned last season, even played, came onto the field,
00:40He scored six goals.
00:40But he didn't get the playing time one would expect from a player of Gabriel Jesus' caliber.
00:46So he was out of the plans, he wasn't even included in the squad for Arsenal's first two games of the season.
00:50They are thus awaiting a negotiation that appears to be taking place with Barcelona.
00:56And now he has the opportunity to play, maybe, who knows, because Barcelona needs a number 9 too.
01:03right?
01:04Barcelona lost Robert Lewandowski in this transfer window, who was one of the top goalscorers in recent years.
01:11of the club,
01:12And Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal for Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
01:18Against Argentina, he went to PSG.
01:21So, a gap was left within the Barcelona squad that is being filled with the arrival of Gabriel Jesus.
01:29Now, how does he arrive? Is he arriving to play, to be a starter, is he going to play as a...
01:34Center forward, if he's going to play on the wing?
01:35Only Hans Flick can answer that, but at least now he has the expectation of...
01:42to play,
01:42Because at Arsenal he was being overlooked, because the club relies on Kai Havertz as their starting goalkeeper.
01:49And then there's Jokers, for which the club spent a huge amount of money last season, in the last transfer window.
01:55European summer transfer.
01:57So, Gabriel Jesus wasn't going to get many minutes at Arsenal.
02:00So, the solution, the best solution for him, in fact, is to leave, and there's nothing better than leaving to...
02:05It's a huge club, isn't it?
02:07A club that is the current two-time champion of the Spanish Championship is a club that will be fighting for the Champions League.
02:13which could give him more playing time and perhaps even the opportunity to be a starter.
02:18Yes, and in that respect, it could also be good news for Paulo Antelote.
02:22Because Antelotti has said several times that he considers Rafinha one of the best strikers in the world.
02:27Despite Rafinha having a World Cup well below expectations,
02:32But, for sure, Rafinha is on Antelotte's radar for this cycle.
02:37And now, possibly, Antelotte is winning there, if Gabriel Jesus does indeed become a starter at Barcelona.
02:45A partnership between Rafinha and Gabriel Jesus, which could eventually be replicated in the Brazilian national team.
02:53So, Brazil, which has a long-standing complaint that we can only get together in...
02:59FIFA dates,
03:00There's little time for training, so generally, coaches end up using players who already play together.
03:06We saw this quite often when we brought, for example, four players from Flamengo; they already had some chemistry.
03:11Perhaps now Antelotte is finding a strike partnership that can gel at Barcelona.
03:18And then, who knows, maybe I'll come play for the Brazilian national team too.
03:20Yes, we saw a lot of that in the World Cup, for example, in 2026, which just ended.
03:25Because the foundation of the Spanish team was the same as the foundation of Barcelona's team, so it was a cohesive unit.
03:30who used to play a lot together, Barcelona even signed Rodri, now, you know, from Manchester City,
03:35Another one who was part of that great Spanish midfield.
03:39In 2014, we had Germany, which was the base of Bayern Munich, so, like,
03:43Having a foundation sometimes makes it easier to integrate into the team.
03:46And having Rafinha able to play as a starter in place of Gabriel Jesus is good news for Carlo.
03:52Antelote.
03:53Now, let's see if Gabriel Jesus will play, shall we?
03:55In theory, the attack has Lamine, Amau, and Rafinha guaranteed in Hans Flick's starting lineup.
04:02As it has been for some years now, Gabriel Jesus has the opportunity to fight for that spot.
04:07to be a center forward.
04:08He's going to compete with Anthony Gordon, who's on the England national team and was just signed from Newcastle.
04:13with Carinha DM, who is also on the German national team and was signed from Borussia Dortmund,
04:19And with Fermin Lopes, who is also a player from Barcelona's youth academy, but therefore has the potential to compete...
04:25for a title.
04:27Just now, Jean-Jean was saying that Rafinha wins playing as a number nine at Barcelona.
04:32And he was demonstrating some skill, right?
04:34Do you think that with the arrival of Gabriel Jesus and Anthony Gordon, he will finally return to playing for the team?
04:39tip?
04:40So, Hans Flick even praised it at today's press conference, right, this Sunday,
04:45Rafinha in the number nine position, right? Talking about the pressure he puts on, the quality he has...
04:50due to the leadership he demonstrates by acting as the team's focal point,
04:53And whether you like it or not, he scored three goals in the first two La Liga games, right?
04:57One, in fact, I was even commenting here in the newsroom that it reminded me a little bit of, like,
05:00Those aerial duels by Ronaldo Fenômeno, receiving a through ball, dribbling...
05:05It reminded me of the airwaves, it wasn't a comparison.
05:08Yes, no, never, but him dribbling past Nays Simon, who is the goalkeeper for Spain, a world champion now,
05:13from the World Cup, and thus, he has played good matches, given good performances, and convinced Hans Flick.
05:22So, if Gabriel Jesus is going to be a starter and Rafinha is going to return to playing on the wing...
05:27left,
05:28It's unknown, but what is known today is that Rafinha has been performing well in the number nine role.
05:33And that's also an alternative, whether we like it or not, for Carlo Ancelotti, right?
05:36Because, in my view, the Brazilian national team doesn't have a guaranteed fixed number nine, right?
05:43So much so that he made many changes in recent World Cups.
05:45Gabriel Jesus was a starter in 2018, Richard only was in 2022.
05:48Matheus Cunha ended up being used as a number nine as well.
05:53Exactly, we also have João Pedro, who didn't even end up going to the last World Cup.
05:56But it's also an option like nine.
05:58He just missed a goal here.
06:01But, in that case, it's a possibility that Gabriel Jesus could play alongside Rafinha.
06:05But we'll have to see if that's part of Hans Flick's plans.
06:08But, in any case, even if he starts on the bench, he could eventually play.
06:12He earned playing time, scored goals, and convinced Hans Flick that he deserves a starting spot.
06:17Depending on his performances, Rafinha would naturally return to playing as a left winger.
06:22Lamine Amal is practically the guaranteed starter on the right wing, isn't he?
06:26And Gabriel Jesus could fit in there as the center of the attack.
06:30Well, if this transaction is confirmed, which all indications suggest it will be.
06:35Good news for Barcelona, good news for Carlo Antilotti.
06:39And above all, good news for Gabriel Jesus, who has always been a very dedicated striker.
06:44He had a World Cup in Russia that left him very scarred, very upset himself.
06:50But he was always a very dedicated player, who never gave up.
06:54He always sought to showcase his work, he's been a banker, who knows, maybe now he'll gain more recognition.
07:00And if everything goes well there, it could finally be a new option, a new old option for the Brazilian national team.
07:07But now with Carlo Antilotti, who knows, maybe it will work out.
07:10Let's see, and you'll be able to follow all of this live here.
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