Arsenal are on the verge of signing Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City – and the imminent move has not gone down well with one former City player.
Dietmar Hamann - who played for the club between 2006 and 2009 - has branded the decision to let Jesus leave "a mistake" on Pep Guardiola's part.
The Brazil forward is set to join the Gunners in a £45 million deal, bringing to an end a five-year stay at the Etihad Stadium.
With Erling Haaland's arrival from Borussia Dortmund only intensifying competition for places in City's attack, Jesus' departure is understandable - but Hamann feels he still had plenty to offer the Premier League champions.
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."
Hamann isn't wrong about Jesus' goalscoring record – the 25-year-old has scored 58 Premier League goals in 159 appearances (only 99 of which have been starts).
But it's clear from the signing of Haaland – an out-and-out No.9 – that Guardiola is taking his forward line in a different direction. Were Jesus to stay put for another season, he might find himself needing to resurrect his career in a year's time.
As it is, his pending switch to North London should provide him with the perfect transition to the next step.
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Arsenal are busy in the transfer market already – and have reportedly already tied up their first deal of the window according to reports.
The search for a striker is ongoing. Gabriel Jesus is still a huge rumour, with the Gunners set to offer him a huge pay rise – though there may yet be stumbling blocks. Gianluca Scamacca remains the Plan B for Arsenal, though both Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Juventus star Alvaro Morata have been touted.
In midfield, Carney Chukuemeka of Aston Villa, long-term target Houssem Aouar, Serie A star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Leicester City schemer Youri Tielemans are on the radar. The north Londoners apparently remain confident of convincing Bukayo Saka to stay, too.
