Manchester City were accused of making a mistake when they allowed Gabriel Jesus to leave for Arsenal by one of their own former stars in Dietmar Hamann, but is hasn't exactly played out that way.
Of course, the Brazilian international has transformed Arsenal since he arrived at the Emirates and such was the esteem he was held in by City fans, the bulk of the fanbase are most likely happy for him. However, that also implies they aren't missing him too much.
None of this is to diminish Jesus' achievements since joining the Gunners, but there is one clear reason why allowing him to depart was not an error of judgement from City boss Pep Guardiola. That reason comes in the form of their new Norwegian powerhouse, Erling Haaland.
The former Borussia Dortmund man has been in sensational form since he made the high-profile but relatively low-money move to Manchester in the summer. Hamann wasn't so sure things would unfold the way they have, though, and voiced his concerns over Haaland's arrival and Jesus' departure.
Speaking to Genting Casino, he said: "Pep Guardiola is making a mistake by letting Gabriel Jesus leave; Erling Haaland has had his injury problems and the Premier League is a very physical league. If you look at Gabriel Jesus’ stats, they’re brilliant. He’s scored a lot of goals for them, so I’m surprised he’s been allowed to leave."
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise when you look at their respective forms in front of goal. 21-year-old Haaland is leading the pack when it comes to the scoring charts, with six strikes inside the opening four games.
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Jesus' Gunners side actually sit top of the Premier League table, two points in front of his old team, but Guardiola's men are the league's highest scorers with 13 - just under half coming from Haaland alone. In comparison, Jesus has bagged just the two in the red half of North London.
Arsenal's new talisman has certainly come in for plenty of plaudits, but ex-Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand has warned Gunners fans to not get ahead of themselves.
"I think that Jesus' impact has been unreal," Ferdinand said on his Vibe with Five podcast. "I think that he has been a fantastic signing, an absolute major signing for Arsenal, but please don’t go overboard like all Arsenal fans do. When you have got Haaland banging in a hat-trick at the weekend and you are going, 'Oh, Jesus is overshadowing him still' - what are you talking about?"
