Sterling or Jesus - who's the better signing?

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It is impressive that Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool went toe-to-toe with the Citizens right until the end of last season given the incredible depth in Pep Guardiola's squad - City could arguably challenge for the Champions League spots with their second eleven. Haaland and Phillips are in, Gabriel Jesus is out and Raheem Sterling has returned to London to join Chelsea, too. The fact that City can afford to sell two first team regulars to rival clubs and still start the new season stronger than when they lifted the Premier League title back in May is a scary demonstration of their strength. Liverpool will do well to get as close to them this season as they did last. But enough about City, who all the top UK bookies have as odds-on favourites to retain their title. What about Arsenal and Chelsea - the respective destinations for Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling? Which of these top-four hopefuls has bagged themselves the best deal? Both have been employed by Pep Guardiola in various positions across the front line as well as in wide midfield and both have been criticised for lacking a real finisher's touch in front of goal. But, in the words of Rafa Benitez, let's talk about the facts. In his 339 appearances for Man City, England stalwart Sterling netted 131 times and provided 95 assists to the goal-hungry Sergio Aguero amongst others. In total (including his breakout seasons at Liverpool), the 27-year-old has registered more Premier League goals than Dider Drogba or Cristiano Ronaldo and more assists than Paul Scholes or Mesut Özil. Those figures alone should convince all but the most sceptical of Chelsea fans. With the way that Thomas Tuchel wants his team to play, it's not a stretch to suggest that Sterling will be twice as effective as Romelu Lukaku for half the price. For a team that will be hoping to go far in both domestic cups, the Champions League and challenge City for the title, consistency is key, so Sterling's relatively blemish-free injury record is another big plus. Sterling's most effective position is arguably the left of a front three, whereas Brazil international Gabriel Jesus prefers the number nine role. In sanctioning the departures of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mikel Arteta is giving the 25-year-old the chance to make that spot his own at The Emirates. Jesus's 95 goals and 46 assists from 236 games in all competitions for Manchester City is also impressive. Sterling managed a goal involvement (scoring or assisting) once every 111 minutes in a City shirt; Jesus' notched a goal or assist every 101 minutes. At most other teams, that sort of return over that length of time would almost be enough to secure club legend status and a statue outside the stadium. A goal or assist every 101 minutes would be a stunning return for Jesus at Arsenal. It's not out of the question for a striker coming into the prime of his career and in line for significantly more game time being fed by an exciting team full of young attacking and creative talent. During his time at City, Jesus spent significantly more time on the physio's bench than his former teammate Sterling but, to be fair, the Brazilian has been more regularly available for selection in the last few seasons than at the start of his spell in Manchester. Sterling has vast experience while Jesus has the chance to really blossom into a talismanic striker. It's genuinely hard to pick between the two of them, so we'll sit on the fence and say that these cast-offs from the Champions are excellent pick-ups for Chelsea and Arsenal.