Tottenham Hotspur were in the mix for Gabriel Jesus before the Brazilian's move to Arsenal, but apparently instead opted to look elsewhere.
Spurs ultimately strengthened their front-line over the summer with a £60million move for Richarlison, having, they say, pulled out of the race for his compatriot. However, another primary target, Raphinha, turned down Antonio Conte's side.
Now, as Conte and his team prepare to face Arsenal and their star striker on Saturday, Jesus will have a chance to show Spurs what they are missing. Richarlison and Raphinha might be leading the way as far as international recognition is concerned, but the Arsenal man is the only one of the three playing for a table-topping side.
Back in June, local reports emanating from that side of the fence suggested that Spurs had dropped out of the race for Gabriel Jesus. The 25-year-old had already looked to be on his way out at Manchester City, with just a year left on his deal, but Spurs' decision gave Arsenal - who, from their vantage point, will tell you that they beat their bitter rivals to his signing - a free run at the £45m man.
Richarlison was already a target for Conte at that point, but Raphinha appeared to be at the top of the list with Barcelona's ability to fund a move looking doubtful. However, the Catalan club later found the funds to meet Leeds United's asking price beating both Spurs and Chelsea to his signature.
Raphinha and Richarlison both started for Brazil in their recent friendly victory over Tunisia, with the Barca man bagging a brace in the 5-1 victory and Spurs' new man also finding the net. Gabriel Jesus wasn't part of Tite's squad, but his four league goals this season have helped Arsenal reach the top of the table ahead of this weekend's north London derby.
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"His presence lifts the standards, the way he is every day, the way he’s talking to them, the way they are connecting," Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said of Gabriel Jesus in August. "It’s very natural but it’s pretty impressive to do it that quickly.”
With four goals and three assists in the league this term, Jesus has averaged less than 90 minutes per goal contribution. It has been a successful reunion with Arteta, who was one of his coaches at former club Manchester City before taking over in north London.
Spurs, meanwhile, are starting to see the best from Richarlison after the 25-year-old was eased in by Conte. The former Watford and Everton man scored his first goals for Spurs in a Champions League victory over Marseille, and also has two Premier League assists to his name.
"We signed Richy because we tried to sign a player that was able to play in all three [forward] positions," Conte said after the forward opened his account. "For this reason we hadn't had any doubts to sign him. We did this quickly because our idea and vision was very clear, especially for this reason."
