Gabriel Jesus has admitted he had to leave Manchester City and Pep Guardiola in the summer after growing frustrated with his role at the Etihad.
The Brazilian started 21 Premier League games last season and frequently played up front following the departure of Sergio Aguero, scoring eight goals and assisting eight more.
Arsenal swooped in during the summer to make Jesus their new striker, replacing the departed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and understudy Eddie Nketiah, and has already netted four goals to help fire the Gunners to the top of the table with six wins from seven games.
The 25-year-old has appeared revitalised this season and admitted part of that is down to feeling “free” in north London under Mikel Arteta, adding he had grown tired of City’s style of play.
“The thing was the way [Guardiola] understands football and what he wanted,” Jesus told ESPN Brasil. “Then it was up to you to accept it or not. If you don’t accept it, ‘thank you’ and let’s go for another challenge.
“I accepted it for a while, but there came a moment when I said: ‘I want another thing for myself.’ I thanked him, ‘thanks for everything,’ he understood, and we moved on.
“It is different here at Arsenal. The football is different – different players, different ways to play.
“At City, it was different. The striker didn’t touch the ball that much, you see this by watching the games. And, when it was time to touch the ball, it was not the striker, because [Guardiola] ended up putting a midfielder to come closer. OK, fine. So, I decided to change.
“I talked a lot with Arteta about Arsenal’s style. He knows me, I know him, I understood what he wanted from me. Now, I’m free on the pitch, playing football with a smile on my face and trying to do my best all the time.”
Jesus will partake in his first north London derby on Saturday when Arsenal host Tottenham in the day’s early kick off, with just a point separating the two rivals at this early stage in the season.