Mikel Arteta has admitted that he's been "surprised" by how quickly Gabriel Jesus has made an impact at Arsenal. The Brazilian completed a £45 million ($55m) move to north London from Manchester City on July 4, bringing to an end his five-year spell with the Premier League champions.
Jesus instantly endeared himself to Gunners supporters by netting seven goals in five pre-season appearances, including a stunning hat-trick against Sevilla, leaving Arteta delighted.
What has Arteta said about Jesus' impact at Arsenal?
Jesus, who previously worked under Arteta when the Spaniard was Pep Guardiola's assistant at City, is set to make his first competitive start for Arsenal when they open the new Premier League campaign away at Crystal Palace on Friday.
"When you bring top players from top clubs where they've been successful, they are going to expect pressure," the Gunners' boss said when quizzed on Jesus at a pre-match press conference.
"The role Gabby has here will be different to the role he had at City.
Next Match
"That will take adaptation and time; he's done it fantastically well and we are surprised how quickly he's done it."
Getty ImagesWill Arsenal make any more summer signings?
Oleksandr Zinchenko ended up following Jesus to Arsenal from City, while Arsenal have also closed deals for Brazilian starlet Marquinhos, USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner and Portuguese playmaker Fabio Vieira.
The Gunners have also been strongly linked with Leicester City's Youri Tielemans among a host of other high-profile players, and Arteta has confirmed that more reinforcements are being sought before the September 1 transfer deadline.
"It’s always been my team," he said. "We have changed the squad. The players we have are more specific and better to the way we want to play obviously.
"We are really active as you can see with ins and outs. Everything is still open it’s a long window. It’s incredible how much business the club has already done. It’s not gonna stop."