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People inside Man United were left shocked after ‘unstoppable’ player did not join Arsenal

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Arsenal made eight new signings in the summer transfer window.

The Gunners spent over £200 million on their new arrivals, and all of them have had a positive impact already in the first half of the season.

One of Arsenal’s most talked-about signings was Viktor Gyokeres, who joined the club from Sporting CP in July.

That move was a surprise to many, including those at Manchester United, because everyone felt that Arsenal were actually going to sign another striker – Benjamin Sesko.

If you could swap Viktor Gyokeres for Benjamin Sesko right now, would you? If so, why?

Split image of Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres and Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko.
Credit: Getty Images/Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Catherine Ivill – AMA

Manchester United were shocked that Benjamin Sesko did not join Arsenal

Sesko was of interest to Arsenal for over a year.

The Gunners tried to sign the talented forward in the summer of 2024, but he decided to pen a new contract and extend his stay at RB Leipzig.

A year later, it became clear that he would be on the move, and almost everyone in football thought Sesko was on his way to Arsenal.

Even Manchester United were certain that it was going to happen. But when the Gunners chose Gyokeres over the ‘unstoppable‘ Sesko, the Red Devils couldn’t believe their luck.

Benjamin Sesko looks on during Fulham v Manchester United
Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images

Speaking about what happened in the summer, Miguel Delaney said on the Inside Football show: “So, an interesting little detail ahead of Arsenal vs Manchester United this weekend, especially as regards to strikers.

“When Manchester United found out that they suddenly had a chance to sign Sesko in the summer, quite late in the summer, they were actually a bit stunned.

“That’s because, like pretty much every major club on the market, they had fully expected Sesko to be going to Arsenal. That had been the word for over a year.

“I think it reflects the amount of work that Arsenal had done on Sesko. So yeah, there was surprise when they suddenly, I mean given there was a choice between the two for so long, they suddenly went very hard on Gyokeres.”

If you could go back in time and sign another striker for Arsenal instead of Viktor Gyokeres, who would it be and why?

Viktor Gyokeres looking on during an Arsenal game
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images

Viktor Gyokeres vs Benjamin Sesko debate could finally come to an end

If you asked most football fans to guess, almost everyone would’ve said that Gyokeres would end up at Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United and Sesko at Arsenal.

The complete opposite took place, and since then, fans of the two clubs have been debating who the better striker is.

Gyokeres has certainly had the bigger impact so far, but Sesko has the higher ceiling, considering that he is still only 22 years old.

On Sunday, when Arsenal take on Manchester United in the Premier League, the two strikers will come up against each other.

The better performer on the day will be seen as the superior striker.