{"id":1268,"date":"2026-04-01T08:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T08:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=1268"},"modified":"2026-04-01T08:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T08:20:17","slug":"arsenal-star-has-prioritised-staying-despite-contract-running-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=1268","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal star has prioritised staying despite contract running down"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"439\">Gabriel Jesus is approaching a crucial stage in his career at <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Arsenal<\/span><\/span>with his current contract set to expire at the end of next season. Despite speculation surrounding his future, the Brazilian forward does not intend to leave the Emirates before his deal runs out. However, his long-term injury, from which he returned late last year, has limited his ability to demonstrate that he deserves an extension.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"441\" data-end=\"830\">Arsenal are expected to continue monitoring his progress closely, hoping he can rediscover his best form. A sustained run of strong performances could reopen discussions over a new contract, but at present, no negotiations are underway. This uncertainty has naturally attracted interest from other clubs, many of whom are keeping a close watch on his situation ahead of a potential move.<\/p>\n<h2 data-section-id=\"1n3mdz7\" data-start=\"832\" data-end=\"859\">Competition for Places<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"861\" data-end=\"1331\">Jesus now faces significant competition for game time within the Arsenal squad. <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Viktor Gyokeres<\/span><\/span>  and <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Kai Havertz<\/span><\/span>  are currently ahead of him in the pecking order, making it increasingly difficult for him to secure regular minutes. Manager Mikel Arteta is focused on ensuring that every player contributes effectively, but the competition within the squad means opportunities must be earned through consistent performances.<\/p>\n<h2 data-section-id=\"4ysozv\" data-start=\"1333\" data-end=\"1357\">Player\u2019s Intentions<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1359\" data-end=\"1822\">Despite the challenges, Jesus remains committed to Arsenal and is not seeking a move away in the summer. As reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SportsCenterBR\/status\/2038602219298099245?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ESPN Brazil<\/a>journalist <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Bruno Andrade<\/span><\/span>  revealed his stance while speaking to SportsCenter Brasil. He stated, \u201cHis intention is a renewal. Arsenal, for now, haven\u2019t called him to talk, they haven\u2019t given him an idea about the future.\u201d This highlights the player\u2019s desire to remain at the club and secure a new deal.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1824\" data-end=\"2118\">For Jesus, the path forward is clear. He must deliver a strong run of form to convince Arsenal that he remains a valuable part of their long-term plans. Without that improvement, the likelihood of a departure will increase, as the club evaluates its options ahead of the next transfer window.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gabriel Jesus is approaching a crucial stage in his career at Arsenalwith his current contract set to expire at the end of next season. Despite speculation surrounding his future, the Brazilian forward does not intend to leave the Emirates before his deal runs out. However, his long-term injury, from which he returned late last year, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1269,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}