Benjamin Sesko – Arsenal’s Main Target for Summer!

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The 2024 season was another disappointment for those with Arsenal tickets. Arsenal came close to winning the Premier League but could not do so, as Manchester City continued their brilliance in the second half. Now, Arsenal is desperate for Premier League silverware and wants to give it another shot next season and end up victorious. 

One starting point is to have a good summer transfer window to bring essential reinforcements to help the team through the season. Those with Arsenal tickets agree that the club hit the jackpot when they signed Declan Rice from West Ham despite the high transfer fee. In midfield, he delivered beyond expectations for the club. Their central striker needs improvement, with Gabriel Jesus contributing just four goals in the league throughout last season.

Kai Havertz has, at times, shown promise when leading the line on his own, but regardless, Arsenal fans continue to yearn for a natural, goalscoring striker. That man could be Benjamin Sesko, the 6ft 4in, RB Leipzig striker who is fast becoming one of Europe’s most-wanted players.

Manchester United and Chelsea are both thought to be tracking the 20-year-old, but recent reports suggest that Arsenal are leading the race for the Slovenian striker. The striker is also keen on a move to the Emirates.

Who is Benjamin Sesko?

Despite his young age, Sesko has been making waves for several years since he scored 59 goals in 23 games in the U15 set-up at Slovenian side Krsko. He soon joined Slovenian top-flight outfit NK Domzale, but only a year later did he catch the eye of Red Bull Salzburg. At just 16, he signed a professional contract with the Austrian side in 2019.

After two seasons out on loan, Sesko finally got his chance in the first team and enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2022/23, notching up 16 goals in 30 league appearances. Sesko attracted interest from a host of top European clubs, but Leipzig, operating under the same Red Bull ownership conglomerate as Salzburg, secured the striker’s signature for around £20m.

After a solid maiden campaign in the Bundesliga, where Sesko scored 18 goals in 42 appearances, the striker is attracting interest again. A £56million contract is purported to be in his hands, but it must be activated before the end of June.

Top Rated Talent

While his goal record speaks for itself, Sesko’s startling physical characteristics catch the eye. Two-footed and with an excellent turn of pace, the Slovenian’s height and physicality made him idolise Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a youngster. He has also drawn modern-day comparisons with Erling Haaland. With 28 caps for Slovenia, Sesko is an experienced player despite his age. He is often compared to a like-to-like version of Erling Haaland. 

 “They do not represent pressure. I will listen and learn to be even better than he is. My teammates at the club tell me that Haaland and I are very similar, especially in terms of speed. Most of them even tell me that I’m better than him.”

His all-round capabilities also mean he is versatile enough to play in various tactical set-ups. Still so young, Arteta will undoubtedly believe he can be moulded into the perfect striker to fit his system.

“He is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player,” Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell previously said. “He has all the qualities to do that. He’s swift, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, mobile, and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile.”

How Does He Fit? 

Fans with Arsenal tickets will agree that the striker’s role is one problem the club has continued to have. There have been no star signings that Arsenal has had for a striker, and most of the time, they had to opt for existing signings to take the spot. This time around, Arteta wants to make amends – he desperately wants one. 

While Sesko might not be the professional-ready striker, he can bring in a lot of new energy to the side and dominate the front for the Gunners. Sesko would likely be thrown straight into action up front for Arsenal, flanked by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. Havertz would drop further back into midfield alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.

His height and aerial ability would add another dimension to Arsenal’s impressive set-piece threat. At the same time, his physicality could provide a focal point for attacks in a way that Jesus struggled to do last season. However, Sesko has a learning curve. Not only would he be expected to play a more significant role in possession as Arsenal looked to break down low-block defences, but he would also have to adjust to being the lone striker as opposed to the two-man attack in which he was often deployed at Leipzig last season.

The Slovenian would be pressured to hit the ground running immediately, especially if a big figure is forked out to bring him to the Emirates. Still, little in his exciting career thus far suggests that the weight of expectation would burden him.

Kieran Tierney Wants to Leave 

Arsenal full-back Kieran Tierney has made clear which club he would like to join next after being told he has no future at Emirates Stadium, though his chances of sealing a dream move hang in the balance.

Tierney is no longer part of Mike Arteta’s plans, having spent last season on loan at Spanish club Real Sociedad, where he played 20 league games, registering two assists but scoring no goals. Sources have said Aston Villa, who reached the Champions League for the first time under Tierney’s former Gunners boss Unai Emery, are among those keen.

According to Football Insider, the 27-year-old is keen to return to Celtic, where he began his career. Those with Arsenal tickets will also agree that Tierney does not have a great future ahead of him and that a transfer would be the right decision. 

That move would see him reunite with manager Brendan Rodgers, under whom he won a double treble before making the £25m move to North London in 2019 after the Ulsterman returned to the club last summer following his sacking by Leicester City.

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