Andrea Berta has been told to sign Benjamin Sesko over Viktor Gyokeres this summer. The RB Leipzig striker has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal for a while now as Mikel Arteta looks strengthen his frontline.
Sesko, who sees his contract at the Red Bull Arena expire in June 2029, featured 33 times in the Bundesliga this season, scoring 13 goals and providing five assists. Despite his best efforts, the German outfit failed to qualify for either of UEFA’s three competitions.
It’s the first time Leipzig failed to finish in the top-four in six years, and it’s the first time they missed out on Europe entirely since their promotion to the top-flight in 2016. In order to generate some income, they could be forced to offload some of their big names.
football.london understands that Arsenal were interested in signing Sesko last year, but talks never reached an advanced stage. The 22-year-old wanted to resolve his future at Leipzig before Euro 2024, but the Gunners couldn’t commit to a deal with Eddie Nketiah still at the club.
By the time the Hale End graduate eventually left, Sesko had already penned a contract extension at the Red Bull Arena. Despite missing out, football.london understands that the north Londoners have continued to monitor the Slovenia international’s progress, and they’re still keen on securing his signature, even if his stock has fallen a little.
While Leipzig may not have impressed much this term, Sesko certainly caught the eye – and Arsenal fans want to see Berta wrap up a deal. Earlier this month, over 2,000 football.london readers voted on what striker the Gunners should sign.
Sesko dominated the poll, raking in 65 percent of the votes, with Viktor Gyokeres sweeping up the remaining 35 per cent. The £59.8m-rated Slovenian hasn’t always been the favourite among Arsenal supporters though.
In May, nearly 7,000 football.london readers voted on their dream signing for the Gunners. Gyokeres proved to be the most popular candidate with 38 percent of the votes, while Alexander Isak ranked second.
Meanwhile, Sesko placed third, with just 17 percent of the votes. Rodrygo, Victor Osimhen, Nico Williams, Martin Zubimendi, Liam Delap, who has since joined Chelsea, and Ollie Watkins trailed the trio, with six percent or less.
As it stands, it remains to be seen who Arsenal will pursue. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Gunners’ clash against Southampton last month, Arteta made it pretty clear that he wants to strengthen his attack.
“What is clear with the amount of injuries we had in the frontline is that we need a goal threat,” said the Spaniard. “We need the firepower out there.
“We cannot rely just on the numbers we had before. We have to add goals, we have to add creativity, and we have to add numbers, and that will be in different positions.”
On whether he has an idea of how many players he wants to bring in, Arteta grinned and said: “Yes.”
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