Why Chelsea needed to sign Gabriel Jesus AND Sterling from Man City

James Shearman

• Updated: 31 Jul 2022 08:53 CDT
• 3 min read

Both Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus fell out of favour at Manchester City, under manager Pep Guardiola, and were allowed to leave this summer.

While Chelsea opted to sign Sterling for a fee of £47.5 million, Arsenal brought in Jesus for £45m.

And the Brazilian has been in remarkable pre-season form for the Gunners, scoring a hat-trick in a thumping 6-0 success over Sevilla on Saturday.

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Meanwhile, Sterling has been made to play in a 'false nine' role as Chelsea lack a true 'number nine' besides youngster Armando Broja.

The Blues are looking to sign a striker in the remaining weeks of the transfer window, which would allow Sterling to return to his favoured position on the wing, but their options are severely limited.

Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo had been linked to the west London club, but deals for either never materialised.

One man that was never really linked with a move to Chelsea, though, is Arsenal's Jesus.

Jesus would have been ideal for Chelsea - a natural striker with the movement and technical ability to combine with the other two members of the front three.

The latter two qualities are what Romelu Lukaku struggled with last season, while the former is what Havertz and Sterling will always have to contend with.

Jesus ticks all three boxes, hence the Blues will regret letting him go to their London rivals.

He would surely have chosen Stamford Bridge, with the club being in the Champions League this season, over the Emirates Stadium if given the choice.

Sterling vs Jesus at Man City

Since Gabriel Jesus arrived at Manchester City in January 2017, Raheem Sterling scored 19 more goals than the Brazil international.

But when the ‘per 90’ figure is looked at, Jesus actually had a slight edge, posting 0.6 goals per 90.

Although, given that the 25-year-old spent a fair portion of his time at the club playing as a centre forward, winger Sterling posts arguably the better return.

Equally, the Englishman was the more creative player. He registered 16 more assists than his former City colleague and created nearly twice as many chances.

When the figures are considered over 90 minutes, the gap closes, but again Sterling is the stronger player.

Jesus may hold the edge in terms of potential that can be unlocked. Arsenal will be hoping that with regular football and a key role in their side, he can get to another level.

Chelsea are getting surer value for their money, but Arsenal hope they will be rewarded for backing Jesus to become a superstar.