Benjamin Sesko ‘signs’ for Arsenal this summer as Mikel Arteta striker problem solved

Arsenal seem to be eyeing up a host of striker options this summer, with RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko being one of the talismen linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Opting against signing a new striker last summer proved to be a bad decision for Arsenal, with a host of injury issues leaving the Gunners without an out-and-out number nine for the majority of the season, with Mikel Arteta’s side going trophyless once again. But, it does seem like a new striker will finally be signed this summer, with RB Leipzig and Slovenia striker Sesko linked with a move to the Gunners.

Along with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak and Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, Sesko is one of many names being linked with Arteta’s side, though it’s likely that Arsenal will need to spend big if they want to sign the 22-year-old, with RB Leipzig rumoured to want around £92.5million for their star asset. Sesko scored 21 goals across all competitions for RB Leipzig last season, with 13 of those coming in the Bundesliga and four in the Champions League.

So, if Arsenal were to sign Sesko, could the Slovenian help the Gunners win a trophy? Let’s take a look.

Arsenal’s 2025/26 season simulated with Benjamin Sesko

To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Sesko to Arsenal in the summer transfer window before simulating the 2025/26 season.

Sesko was thrown straight into the Arsenal starting XI from the go, and despite failing to score in his first six games, Arteta remained faithful in his new signing, with the Spaniard keeping him in the line-up. Well, his decision paid off, with the striker going on a fantastic goalscoring run until the end of the season.

In 52 appearances across all competitions, which was also the most in the entire Arsenal squad, Sesko scored 29 goals and grabbed three assists, ending the campaign as the Gunners’ top goalscorer. 23 goals came in the Premier League, four came in the Champions League and two came in the FA Cup, with only Mohamed Salah (24), Cody Gakpo (24), and Erling Haaland (26) scoring more than the Slovenian.

Bukayo Saka had another impressive season, Ethan Nwaneri established himself as a starter as he managed 27 goal contributions, while Gabriel Jesus was a strong option off the bench, with the Brazilian netting nine times when being subbed on.

At the end of the 2025/26 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:

Full Arsenal best XI: (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Odegaard, Merino; Saka, Sesko, Nwaneri.

Sesko was part of Arsenal’s best XI in the simulation, with the 22-year-old being joined by Saka and Nwaneri in attack. Mikel Merino joined Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice in midfield, while Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly impressed once again at full-back to join Gabriel and William Saliba in defence.

After reaching the semi-finals last season, Arsenal had a disastrous Champions League campaign, with the Gunners winning three, drawing one and losing four as they crashed out of the competition in the League Phase. But, it didn’t prove to be that big of an issue come the end of the season, with no European football helping Arteta lead the Gunners to a first Premier League title since 2004.

Arsenal and Manchester City were neck-and-neck for the title the entire season, and after a 2-0 loss to Liverpool, the Gunners went into the final day just a point ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side. City won, but Arsenal did as well, meaning with 92 points, Arteta’s side lifted the Premier League trophy.

A 3-1 loss to Liverpool ended their FA Cup run in the quarter-finals, while the Carabao Cup was a competition to forget, with a shock 1-0 loss to Birmingham City seeing the Gunners exit the cup in the fourth round.