Benjamin Sesko or Viktor Gyokeres? That appears to be the question Arsenal’s summer transfer window has rested on.
The Gunners are keen to strengthen their forward line; that much has been known long before June 1. But Mikel Arteta, his coaching staff and the players are all set to return to the Sobha Realty Training Centre on Monday, July 7.
The new striker they need will not be among them unless some sort of miracle happens in the next 24 hours.
Sesko and Gyokeres have both been linked with moves to the Emirates Stadium for well over a year now. The rumour mill has operated at maximum capacity, at times suggesting it was the RB Leipzig man who was the top target and closest to signing.
The truth of the matter is the Gunners do not want to be left high and dry should they lay all of their cards on the table for a true top target and that deal fall through. Sporting director Andrea Berta has been working away diligently on both fronts in hope of striking the most ideal agreement.
Sesko has scored exactly a century of goals for the three clubs he has played under the Red Bull umbrella.
To the naked eye, Bundesliga defenders have an incredibly difficult time dealing with his 6’3″ frame, and a record of 16 goals in 41 appearances for Slovenia speaks for itself.
The defining factor is that at 22 years of age, Sesko has much time to improve – a scary thought – but what Arsenal need right now is someone who can make an impact right away.
Gyokeres, on the other hand, could fit that bill as a seasoned striker at 27, a goalscoring machine who got a taster of life inside a Premier League club when on the books at Brighton.
He was able to advance his career playing in the Championship for Coventry City, almost firing them to the top-flight with 22 goals during the season they were beaten in the play-off final.
A breakthrough move to Sporting CP has seen him net a whopping 97 over the past two seasons, or 102 matches in total, albeit reservations may sprout from the fact his record has come in a league not considered one of Europe’s best.
And all of the above is without considering their eye-watering transfer values, with the CIES Football Observatory recently updating their estimates.
They suggest a fair value for Sesko would be between €94-122m (£81.1-105.2m), whilst for Gyokeres it would be €60-79m (£51-68m).
Such a pressurised decision to get correct at such a high cost; no wonder Arsenal are taking time to push the button.
If it is going to prove too difficult to decide, then they may as well look elsewhere, and the perfect middle ground may have emerged in Victor Osimhen.
CIES place the Napoli striker’s value at a much more palatable €32-47m (£27.6-40m), fresh from his 37-goal season on loan to Turkish outfit Galatasaray. Again, the same argument against Gyokeres could be presented – this wasn’t in one of Europe’s top leagues – but Osimhen would not have been playing there had he been able to find a permanent home last summer, and a refresher of prior years is all that needs to happen.
In 2022/23 he netted 31 times, winning Napoli’s first Serie A title in three decades. In the past four seasons he has surpassed the 15-goal mark in all competitions.
At 26 years old there is a better prospect of a longer term as Arsenal’s leading No. 9, and to reiterate, for a fraction of the price as an estimate. That also depends on Napoli’s bargaining power for a player who clearly wants a new challenge, with it claimed his €75m (£67m) release clause will come to an end on July 15.
