Sport
Sesko may not be the striker that Arsenal need
Arsenal need a new centre forward. Anyone who watched how the Gunners’ 2024/25 campaign fizzled out in the Premier League and Champions League knows this with Mikel Arteta seemingly among those aware of his team’s deficiency in the forward line. Most expect Arsenal to land a new striker this summer.
Countless players of this mould have been linked with a switch to the Emirates Stadium. 18 months ago, Ivan Toney was on the radar before he left Brentford for Saudi Arabia. Alexander Isak has been mentioned as a dream option, but is now surely out of reach such is Newcastle United’s reliance on the Swede.
Recent reports claim Arsenal have narrowed their search down to Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko with the North London club apparently leaning towards the latter. The Gunners have opened talks with the Slovenian striker who has teased his potential over the last two seasons at RB Leipzig.
There’s no doubt Sesko would strengthen Arsenal. However, the 22-year-old might not be the ready-made difference-maker supporters are looking for. Sesko fits the age profile of the squad already assembled at the Emirates Stadium, but that’s because he would be yet another project player for Arteta to develop.
Sesko’s qualities are clear. He’s 6ft 5”. He plays with physicality and has the frame of a natural frontman. The Slovenian is also lightning quick and shoots with incredible power. When Sesko gets into space in behind an opposition defence, there’s no catching him. He would give Arsenal a different dimension in the final third.
In terms of his penalty box presence, though, Sesko isn’t the poacher Arsenal have lacked at various points of the last few seasons. There’s no guarantee he will get on the end of the opportunities the Gunners spurned as they fell short in the Premier League title race and exited the Champions League.
Sesko is raw, so much so that he was benched by RB Leipzig towards the end of last season. The Slovenian’s tally of 13 goals in 33 games was respectable, but seven players including Harry Kane, Serhou Guirassy and Hugo Ekitike scored more goals than Sesko who could cost as much as £60m this summer.
Arsenal have also been linked with left wingers and this could be an easier route to lifting the overall standard of their forward line. Nico Williams is a potential target and would be a significant upgrade on Gabriel Martinelli whose lack of cutting edge has been highlighted in the biggest games for Arsenal recently.
Rodrygo is another left-sided attacker who has been put forward as a possible option for Arsenal. The Brazilian has been squeezed out at Real Madrid since the arrival of Kylian Mbappe and could be on the move this summer. Rodrygo has played on the right for Real Madrid, but only because Vinicius Junior and Mbappe play in his preferred role on the left.
For all the criticism he has faced as Arsenal’s first-choice centre forward, Havertz scored just four goals fewer than Sesko despite playing 10 games fewer due to injury. The German might not be a natural striker in the mould of someone like Erling Haaland or Isak, but Havertz gives Arsenal a lot. He is more than a goalscorer. He is a good presser and offers plenty in possession.
Arteta’s Arsenal are at a critical juncture in their development. While many predicted they would take the final step last season, the Gunners stagnated instead. The right striker will help them move forward again, and Sesko might well be that figure. It could take him some time, however, to be the player Arsenal need him to be.
