Hansi Flick has admitted he was surprised Barcelona had the chance to sign Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal, with the Brazil forward set to become the Spanish champions’ sixth arrival of the summer.
Barcelona have agreed an initial €10m deal for the 29-year-old, who arrived in Spain on Monday. Jesus watched from the stands as Flick’s side beat Rayo Vallecano 5-2 at Camp Nou to maintain their perfect start to the La Liga season.
Jesus is due to sign a two-year contract before being formally presented as a Barcelona player.
“I was a little surprised we had the opportunity to get him,” Flick said. “I really love him, I like his style to play football, it fits with our style. I think he can help us a lot in the games.
“For us, he can be an important [player], so thanks to [sporting director] Deco because again he made an excellent job.”
Jesus joins Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Rodri, João Cancelo and Dominik Livakovic among Barcelona’s summer recruits. His arrival also gives Flick a recognised senior centre-forward after the club began the season without an established No 9.
Raphinha has filled that role in the opening matches, scoring twice against Rayo to take his league tally to five. The Brazil international moved above Kylian Mbappé at the top of the LaLiga scoring charts and has also taken on the Barcelona captaincy.
“Of course I expect this,” Flick said of Raphinha’s form. “He is a fantastic player, a world class player.
“Also [becoming the captain] is something very positive for him. At the moment, he shows exactly what we need from him.”
Hamza Abdelkarim, an Egyptian teenager, is the other recognised striker to have featured, making his LaLiga debut as a substitute against Rayo.
Barcelona had been interested in Julian Alvarez but Atletico Madrid were unwilling to negotiate. The Catalan club are also still open to adding another centre-back, although Flick does not expect further business before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
“I don’t think so, but we will see,” he said when asked whether more signings were likely.
The 5-2 victory over Rayo also brought Lamine Yamal’s first goals of the season. The Spain international scored twice.
“Lamine always wants to improve and he can [improve],” Flick said. “For me I am very happy with him. Today when he’s doing what he’s doing, how he’s playing football, it’s amazing to see. For me he’s on an incredible level.”
