Sead Kolasinac cost Arsenal nothing in the transfer market. Manchester City, meanwhile, spent £115 million on full-backs this summer.
After the Bosnian defender made an instant impact for the Gunners in the 'ABBA' penalty shootout Community Shield victory against Chelsea, perhaps its time to remind ourselves that football isn’t completely dictated by the power of Money, Money, Money.
Arsene Wenger secured another win at Wembley that suggested his team might have rediscovered some of the mental fortitude of his early, glory days at the club.
But counterpart Antonio Conte spent most of the afternoon wearing the frown which has accompanied him through much of pre-season.
Conte’s predecessor at Stamford Bridge, Jose Mourinho, would have placed a lot of value on winning the first 'trophy' of the season after coming from behind as Arsenal did. So Wenger is entitled to do the same.
His team started well and then recovered after falling behind to Victor Moses’ close-range strike, which came at a point when it looked like Arsenal were drifting.
For what it's worth, this meant the victory ultimately represented a satisfying afternoon because they found a way back to win.
Back in May, it was the resolute and determined performance which saw off Chelsea in the FA Cup Final which signalled a welcome rediscovery of purpose at the Emirates.
On Sunday, it was the performance - and indeed the sturdy physical appearance - of Kolasinac which confirmed that Arsenal have added some more muscle and some welcome grit and ferocity to a line-up which has often been too feeble in the past.
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This was the kind of introduction to the supporters which places a firm down payment on the possibility of the 24-year old becoming a cult figure at his new club.
His headed equaliser alone was a triumph of muscular opportunism and determination to make an impact.
Allied to that - after he replaced centre-back Per Mertesacker as a 32nd-minute substitute - was a display of direct, powerful running, tough, uncompromising tackling and commitment which made him the major talking point across north London afterwards.
This was despite the reasonably promising arrival on the capital’s stage of £52million striker, Alexandre Lacazette, who hit the post in the first-half.
Certainly, Kolasinac looks the part of a player who can add some structural steel to the team. He is listed as left-back, but was described as looking more like a line-backer on social media.
Up in Manchester, Pep Guardiola has spent lavishly to land full-backs Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo.
In contrast, Kolasinac arrived at Arsenal on a free transfer from Schalke 04. How gratifying it will be for Wenger if he rediscovered some of his old under-the-rader magic in the transfer market after signing his own two-year contract.
Chelsea, though, looked as oddly muted as they did during that FA Cup Final - one spell late in the first half and their early second-half goal apart.
The sending-off of Pedro and new signing Alvaro Morata’s miss in the shootout creased Conte’s brow further.
So far, the suggestion that all is not well at the club has been based on some highly forensic reading of the runes.
This was an afternoon which could have dispelled the idea even without Eden Hazard. But the team looks under-cooked less than a week before the start of the season.
There will be more new signings. But the sense of confidence and buoyancy which marked the run-in to last season’s title win seems absent.
Conte now needs to lift the mood. And few thought that would be the case during the heady days of last May.