Mikel Arteta says it was ‘easy’ to lure Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal at Tottenham’s expense ahead of North London derby on Saturday

Mikel Arteta has spoken of how easy it was to convince Gabriel Jesus to sign for Arsenal ahead of Tottenham, before the rivals battle it out again in the North London derby.

The Brazilian striker signed for the Gunners from champions Manchester City for £47m in the summer and started straight away, scoring seven times in pre-season.

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Both Tottenham and Chelsea have expressed interest in the striker, but Arsenal swooped in and landed their man in July.

Jesus started strong in the Premier League, with four goals and three assists in seven appearances, helping propel Arsenal to the top of the table.

On the eve of the first North London derby of the season – which is LIVE on talkSPORT – Arteta has revealed the simplistic role he and the club’s technical director Edu played in convincing the 25-year-old to move to the Emirates Stadium rather than their local rivals.

“Edu had a chat with him to explain what the project was about and what the club was about,” Arteta revealed in his pre-match press conference.

“He explained the role he would have at the club. I spoke to him then, so it was a team effort and he really understood what we wanted to do.

“The relationship we had with him [Edu was general coordinator of the Brazil national team from 2016-2019, while Arteta was a coach at Man City] helped because there is already this trust and this connection.

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“Then it’s entirely up to the player to decide.”

Asked if Arsenal were confident they would sign the Brazilian for the competition after those talks, Arteta added: “We were really hopeful.

“His immediate reaction was really positive, but after that there are other steps that need to go in the right direction to finalize and get a player to sign for the club.

“But, to be fair, Gabi made it pretty easy for us.”

Jesus will taste a North London derby for the first time on Saturday lunchtime and has a point to prove after being left out of the Brazil squad for their recent friendlies against Ghana and Tunisia.

The man who filled the job is striker signed by Tottenham instead, Richarlison, and the pair will face off in the Emirates on the back of the former Everton man scoring three goals during the international break.

Defender Gabriel Magalhaes and striker Gabriel Martinelli were also omitted by Brazilian coach Tite, and Arteta had words of support for his Brazilian stars.

He said: “I understand how they feel, how it has affected them and how can we help them. They just have to put their heads down and take him on the chin, try to play at the level he played to make it even harder to leave him out.

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Meanwhile, Jesus revealed Saturday’s game was all his teammates were talking about with the striker keen to taste his first derby showdown.

“All the players talk about the derby. It’s all about the derby. You will see what a derby is. Derby, Derby,” says Jesus.

“I had some experience in derbies, like when I played for Palmeiras, City and Brazil.

“I know what a derby is, but I’ve never played an Arsenal against Tottenham here. So this will be my first and I hope to win, not only in my first but in all the derbies I play. .

Tune in to talkSPORT for EXCLUSIVE LIVE commentary from Arsenal v Tottenham in the Premier League, Saturday October 1, kick-off: 12.30pm