Failing to score when it mattered most ultimately cost Arsenal last season. With a reliable striker leading the line, it’s easy to imagine that at least half of their 14 Premier League draws could have been converted into wins.
That’s exactly why strengthening the attack was always expected to be a priority in this summer’s transfer window.
For a while, it looked like Arsenal would choose between Viktor Gyökeres and Benjamin Šeško, with sporting director Andrea Berta exploring both options.
Now, the picture is becoming clearer: Šeško appears to be the man Arsenal are betting on.
Šeško’s numbers suggest he could explode at Arsenal
Some Gooners might be uneasy about passing on Gyökeres, a proven goal machine at Sporting CP, for a player with just 13 Bundesliga goals last season. But context matters.
The underlying stats suggest that Šeško’s output could soar in a different tactical setup, particularly in a team like Arsenal’s, where service and movement are far superior to what he’s used to at RB Leipzig.
Here’s how the two clubs compared last season:
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Big chances created: Leipzig – 80 | Arsenal – 110
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Touches inside opposition box: Leipzig – 793 | Arsenal – 1,379
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Accurate crosses per match: Leipzig – 3.4 | Arsenal – 4.8
These figures highlight a key point: Šeško has been feeding off scraps compared to the kind of service he’d receive under Mikel Arteta.
Could Arsenal unlock the real Šeško?
Another key factor is how Leipzig used him. The German side play with a two-striker system, with Loïs Openda as the main focal point. That’s meant Šeško has often played deeper, contributing to build-up rather than leading the line.
Interestingly, some observers feel Šeško is actually the more instinctive finisher of the two.
At Arsenal, he’d be the guy. If Arteta gives him the responsibility of leading the attack, in a system that regularly creates chances inside the box, we could witness a very different version of Šeško, one that finally realises the potential many believe he has.
In short, Gooners may not need to worry about goals if this move gets over the line.
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There’s a good argument for either Gyokeres or Sesko, although I am leaning towards the latter.
We just need to get one of them and not let it drag on. Otherwise we may end up with neither of them.
Get Sesko done already, but not at a rip-off price.
This discussion is getting old. We will be better with either Sesko or Gyokeres, snooze and we will lose.
Absolutely – to recognise just how brilliant this Sesko option is, look at all the big clubs, nay all clubs big and small we are beating off to grab this £80M bargain off the shelf.
Um. There arn’t any.
But ignore all other sporting directors in the world, fact is Arteta even had to convince his own he was serious about this.
We all saw Sesko play against England, and other Euro finalists a year ago, and he didn’t even look English Championship level back then – like Liam Delap minus the useful composure – and he would already have been signed by us by that point, if he “hadn’t deemed himself unready” to be a main man at big Prem club and turned down a year on extra money.
No one thinks Sesko ready except Arteta himself. So let’s not write articles and all act act like we are excited by a signing that needs time to develop, and starts off on bench as Havertz plays first match next season. Anyway, there’s zero chance Arsenal paying out the demanded £80M+ for a novice, when experienced ready to go players that can fire you to a title are £20M cheaper.