Tottenham may have pipped Arsenal to a Champions League place in the final weeks of last season, but Tony Cascarino believes that the Gunners have got one over on their rivals in the transfer market by bagging Gabriel Jesus.
Both Arsenal and Spurs headed into the summer desperate to land attacking reinforcements. Tottenham confirmed that they had captured Everton striker Richarlison in a £60million deal on Friday, while Arsenal have reached an agreement with Manchester City to acquire Jesus' services for £45m.
Although both players are proven at Premier League level, Cascarino believes that Jesus is a better player than Richarlison and that Arsenal have pulled off a coup by landing the Brazilian forward.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Cascarino said: "I think Gabriel Jesus ticks a lot more boxes and they’ve got him at a better price. If you said to me now who will get the most goals, I’d say Gabriel Jesus would get more goals than Richarlison for Tottenham. And he’s more versatile than Richarlison. Gabriel Jesus has played left wing right wing and centre forward for Man City.
"He’s got an incredible work ethic. He plays every time I watch him like Richarlison did at the end of the season. I’d love to see Richarlison be the player he can be and get all of the other antics out of his game and become a far more complete player."
During their time in the Premier League, Jesus and Richarlison have similar stars, but the Arsenal new boy has managed to outgun his new north London rival. The 25-year-old has plundered 58 goals in 159 top-flight appearances for City, while Richarlison has netted 48 times in 173 appearances for Everton and Watford.
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After failing to establish himself as the main man at the Etihad following Sergio Aguero's departure last summer, Jesus will now get the chance to lead the line for Mikel Arteta, who has been on the hunt for an elite No.9 since January.
The Gunners are bidding to rebound this year after being pipped to a top-four finish by their bitter rivals in the final weeks of the 2021/22 campaign.
Despite missing out on a return to the Champions League, Arsenal have still been able to splash the cash in the transfer market. Jesus - who was pictured in a Gunners shirt at the Emirates earlier this week - is the second big-money transfer the Londoners have signed off on this summer after they wrapped up a £34m deal for Fabio Vieira last month, with more deals expected.
