"I'm there in front of the player, in front of the family to explain who you are" - Arsenal director Edu explains his role in signing Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City

[L-to-R] Arsenal technical director Edu and Gabriel Jesus.

Arsenal technical director Edu has stated that he was only a "part of the process" the club had in place to sign Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City.

Jesus arrived at the Emirates on a deal worth around £45 million earlier this summer. The 25-year-old is expected to resolve the Gunners' issues in attack while also providing versatility, a feature of his game that stood out at Manchester City.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has previously worked with Jesus during his time as City's assistant coach. Despite their pre-existing relationship, the deal still required the north London outfit to track the Brazilian for nearly seven months before the move went through.

Edu recently spoke about Gabriel Jesus' signing to Sky Sports. When asked how he felt about the player stating that he was a major reason behind him moving to the Emirates, Edu said:

"No, it's not me, it's Arsenal. I'm just part of the process of when you go in to sign a player, I'm there in front of the player, in front of the family to explain who you are. I think we as a club have to be proud to have a player like Gabriel Jesus here."

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The former Gunners midfielder was also asked if the club had tracked Jesus for a long time. He responded:

"For sure. This process really, I think, takes like seven months in terms of understanding each other and talking to each other, because also he has a lot of other opportunities and then he chooses because he understands who we are."

Jesus enjoyed a trophy-laden six years at Manchester City. The forward lifted 11 trophies, including four Premier League titles and four EFL Cups. Overall, he netted 95 goals and laid out 46 assists in 233 matches across all competitions for Pep Guardiola's side.

Gabriel Jesus has got off to a flying start at Arsenal after arriving from Manchester City

Gabriel Jesus' addition was seen as a shrewd move from Arsenal due to his Premier League experience and proven quality. He has gotten off to a fantastic start with the Gunners.

Arteta's troops have competed in five pre-season friendlies ahead of the 2022-23 season. Jesus missed their first game against Ipswich Town, but scored twice on his debut in a 5-3 defeat of FC Nurnberg. The Brazilian followed that up by scoring the opener in a 2-0 win against Everton.

Jesus didn't score in their 3-1 victory over Orlando City but netted once again as Arsenal thrashed Chelsea 4-0 in their most recent match. It's worth noting that the former Manchester City striker has scored his four goals in just 191 minutes of action.

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The signs are certainly promising and Gunners fans will hope that Gabriel Jesus continues his fantastic run when the season officially begins as well.