‘He wants to kill me!’ - Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus fears ‘king of joking’ Oleksandr Zinchenko after Premier League titles dig

• Pair played together at Man City
• Claimed multiple top-flight crowns
• Looking to land another with Gunners

WHAT HAPPENED? The Brazilian striker completed a transfer to Emirates Stadium in the same summer window of 2022 as versatile Ukraine international Zinchenko. They previously enjoyed multiple title triumphs together at Manchester City and are now in the hunt for another after swapping the North West for north London. They remain close friends, having forged bonds on and off the field, and are prepared to indulge in playful banter that sees them poke fun at one another on a

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WHAT THEY SAID: Jesus has told Footballers Lives on TikTok of working with Zinchenko for so long: “I think Alex 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.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Zinchenko has previously said of reuniting with Jesus at Arsenal: “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.”

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? The Gunners, with Jesus back from injury, currently sit eight points clear at the top of the Premier League, but they will face another stern test of their title credentials on Sunday when taking in a trip to Liverpool.