Arsenal have been scouring the market for a striker. The club is actively looking to bring in the missing piece of Mikel Arteta’s jigsaw after years of near misses. Who the Gunners will eventually settle with remains unclear, however fans can be confident it will be either Benjamin Šeško or Victor Gyökeres (or both)!
Recently, Arsenal received a significant boost in their efforts to sign the latter. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed that the Swedish international has prioritised a move to north London. Gyökeres has chosen the Gunners amid heavy interest from Manchester United, where he would have had the opportunity to work with his former manager.
Arsenal are reportedly monitoring the situation and are currently well placed to seal his signature after the revelation. The player’s stance has come to light amid a standoff with his parent club, Sporting. In a stunning turn of events, the former Coventry man has threatened to go on strike due to a violation of a gentleman’s agreement for him to leave for a cut-price deal. This standoff, along with the player’s preference to join the Gunners, will put them in a commanding position to secure his signature.
Šeško still the preferred option despite Gyökeres boost
Despite the opportunity, it is worth noting that the Gunners still prefer a move for Benjamin Šeško. The Slovenian international has been made the priority target for the summer. Talks have taken place with RB Leipzig for his signature, but no formal offer has been made for the striker.
Reports say the Germans will hold out for his full release clause, £92 million, representing a major stumbling block in Arsenal’s attempts to secure a deal. Nonetheless, the Gunners will be boosted by Victor Gyökeres’ commitment to join them. Now that such information has been publicly made available, Arsenal are in a strong position to negotiate better terms for the player.
Leipzig will know the Gunners have other options and are in no desperate need to sign the player. Also, their failure to qualify for European football next season will play in Arsenal’s favour. The Germans will surely look to offset the absence of European revenue with a cash injection from sales.
Berta’s smart approach gives Arsenal the upper hand
It would be naive to think Arsenal have luckily found themselves in this strong position. Credit must go to the recruitment team, most especially Andrea Berta, for not putting their eggs in one basket. Arsenal have taken a fairly different approach this summer. The club has actively been in talks with a number of targets simultaneously ahead of a final decision, and this has put them in a fantastic position to seal the transfer of Benjamin Šeško.
Whether the club secures their priority target remains to be seen, but with Gyökeres now fully back in the mix, should the Gunners reconsider their priorities?
Contributions are much appreciated in the comments.
Benjamin Kenneth
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This Gykores – Sesko saga is becoming boring because we are not seeing any clear path to their signing. Berta having upper hand 🖐️ is not signing the player.
I read 📖 this morning about Juventus seriously trying to hijack the Gykores deal because Arsenal thinks Sporting valuation is too high.
I believe even if Gykores has doubts over his ability to perform at EPL, the noise around his transfer and hunger to play for Arsenal tells you that he’s coming with one mission and intention to shock 🤯 his doubters and win.
We have two makeshift strikers, Havertz and Merino who need replacing with one key striker who can score just as many goals and assist on others.
I don’t believe Arsenal should retain all three players ( Havertz, Merino, other ) but it looks like Havertz and Merino are here to stay and will continue to contribute to our success.
Therefore, budgeting for a new, young, quality striker, playmaker could mean spending under 50 mil. and imo there are a few available.
Every club would like a Mo Salah player ( 37 mil) from Roma and formerly Chelsea where he scored only two goals.
I think there’s room for both Sesko and Gyokeres in the squad. Gyokeres would obviously be a main option solely at 9, Sesko would still get plenty of time as a striker but also offer something different by playing Odegaard’s position in games where the Norweigan is struggling with the physicality, or even on the left or the two up top together.
However, this would majorly reduce Havertz time on the pitch, and I can’t see MA sanctioning such a move. Perhaps Sesko and David on a free would make more sense? As much as I like Watkins it really feels like a last resort kind of acquisition, I’d sooner see a move for Woltemade, Ekitike, etc.
I like your suggestion of David and I believe his price is a bargain because he is not from a traditional footballing nation. As a Canadian, David has thrived in the CL and in France where Arsenal have had good success recruiting players.
I think David is a player with less expectation on his shoulders and more incentive to prove his worth which fits well with the the squad we have.
Chelsea did the smart thing in brining in Delap for not much money. Even if he fails to make much of an impact he will still be useful as a back-up. In contrast, Arsenals striker pursuit is looking like a potential car crash. Lets hope it won’t come down to being held to ransom on the last day by Villa for Watkins.