Arsenal almost signed Benjamin Sesko in the summer, but Gary Neville’s latest review suggests the Gunners made the right decision to avoid the striker.
Andrea Berta chose Viktor Gyokeres over Sesko due to what Arsenal needed immediately, which was a reliable goalscorer.
Though there’s no doubting the talent that Sesko has, the 22-year-old is still very early into his career, with Arsenal not having the time to wait on a striker to adapt.
On matchday ten, Gyokeres had his best Arsenal performance against Burnley as the Swede scored his sixth goal of the season, while at the City Ground, Sesko failed to impress.
- READ MORE: Benjamin Sesko reveals the real reason why he chose Manchester United despite Arsenal interest
Gary Neville shares his honest thoughts on Benjamin Sesko after Arsenal’s transfer interest
After Arsenal’s win and Manchester United’s draw, Gary Neville was prompted to speak about the two strikers who moved to the Premier League in the summer.
Back in August, Neville said Sesko was ‘nowhere near’ the level needed in the English top flight with regard to his fitness, which was similar to the review the pundit just gave the Slovenian.
After talking about Gyokeres on NBC Sports, host Rebecca Lowe prompted Neville to compare the Swede to Sesko, given that they arrived in England at similar times.
Commenting on what he saw from Sesko against Nottingham Forest, Neville said the following.
“I’m no further forward with him in respect of the jury’s out. I think he’s well off it compared to the other signings that United have made up front, and he looks awkward.
“He had a couple of really good opportunities in the first half where balls just got played over, and his touch wasn’t right.”
It was unsurprising to hear Neville’s take on the striker’s game, as Sesko did struggle against the Tricky Trees, failing to record a shot on target and completing only nine passes, as per Sofascore.
How Gyokeres and Sesko’s starts in the Premier League compare
Sesko has an abundance of talent, but it appears that the former RB Leipzig man needs time to find his feet in the Premier League.
Thus far, it looks as though Arsenal made the right decision to hire Gyokeres, who is really starting to click with his teammates.
| Viktor Gyokeres | Statistic | Benjamin Sesko |
| 10 | Matches | 10 |
| 4 | Goals | 2 |
| 20% | Conversion % | 11% |
| 5 | Big chances missed | 3 |
| 2 | Big chances created | 0 |
| 0.8 | Shots on target p/g | 0.7 |
That being said, aside from their goal tallies and conversion rates, there isn’t a lot to divide Sesko and the Arsenal striker, based on other statistics vital to a striker’s game.
As time passes, both players will be eager to get their average number of shots on target per game up, with both failing to record an average of over one.
Right now, Arsenal will have no complaints about Gyokeres, who is going from strength to strength in Mikel Arteta’s team of superstars.
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