Among all the new players Barcelona signed in the summer, the addition of Gabriel Jesus was perhaps met with the least amount of hype.
The Brazilian, after all, was not only a cheap alternative for top target Julian Alvarez but also a last-minute signing.
But the logistics of the deal cannot be ignored as Barça were able to sign him on a permanent deal for just €10 million and two months on, the striker is showing everyone why he has been a brilliant signing.
Gabriel Jesus has been a bargain
Gabriel Jesus has been clinical for Barcelona. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Indeed, Deco’s decision to move for Jesus in the dying embers of the window, in an operation that caught many by surprise, is looking shrewder by the week.
Doubts lingered over the former Arsenal man, largely due to the serious injuries that have dogged his recent years and a modest goalscoring return at the Emirates.
Yet since pulling on the Barcelona shirt, the goals have flowed. In a record-breaking side that has already racked up 39 goals in its first nine games, Jesus has three in La Liga to his name, as well as a debut strike against Feyenoord in the Champions League.
He is delivering on the vow he made upon arriving, when he insisted he wanted to score decisive goals rather than simply pad his tally in routine wins.
The numbers back it up
Deco deserves credit for the Gabriel signing. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Jesus is scoring a goal every 59 minutes. Across the seven matches in which he has featured this season, he has pulled out his trademark ‘call-up’ celebration on four occasions, the three La Liga efforts plus his Feyenoord strike.
Against Betis, he once again seized his chance in a rare start. In 79 minutes on the pitch he scored Barcelona’s third, finishing off a sublime pass from Lamine Yamal, and could have had a brace but for another superb assist from the Barça number ten going begging.
Perhaps most tellingly of all, Jesus now has more La Liga goals than Vinicius Jr, with only Kylian Mbappe among Real Madrid’s forwards having scored more.
For a player who managed just three league goals in each of his final two seasons at Arsenal, matching that tally already at Barcelona speaks volumes and shows why Deco deserves a lot of credit for this shrewd piece of business.