Arsenal have seemingly whittled down their striker transfer shortlist to Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko, with one of them expected to arrive at the Emirates this summer.
The Gunners are looking to find an upgrade on Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus in the upcoming window, and the aforementioned two are now the clear primary targets.
Alexander Isak has been linked with Arsenal, but the Newcastle striker is likely to be too costly, while the likes of Liam Delap and Hugo Ekitike have also been mentioned as potential options.
However, Sesko and Gyokeres have emerged as the leading candidates, and Andrea Berta will have to make a decision on which to pursue aggressively over the next month.
David Ornstein provides insight into Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres pursuits
Sesko has endured a season of stagnation at RB Leipzig, not quite kicking on from where he left off at the end of last campaign.
However, the Slovenian is still just 21 and has the raw physical attributes that make him an intriguing prospect for a club like Arsenal.
There are reportedly concerns at Arsenal about Sesko’s lack of experience, and whether he’d be capable of making an instant impact next season.
Meanwhile, Gyokeres has scored a staggering 53 goals this season across all competitions for Sporting, although there are question marks about how he’d fare in a much more challenging league.
Replying to a question in a Q&A on the Athletic, transfer guru David Ornstein revealed that the North London club have likely not yet made their mind up about which of the two they’ll opt for.
“It seems Arsenal are deciding between which of those two strikers to pursue as their preferred target,” he said.
“They’re both under consideration but it’s hard to know who is higher because 1) we’re not privy the conversations and 2) generally these situations often aren’t as straight forward as higher/lower; there are many factors that contribute to such decisions being made and then even more to reach execution stage.
“There are naturally pros and cons, but I must say Gyokeres and Sesko are elite number nines who would be outstanding signings, so this should bring some excitement to the Arsenal fanbase (if one of them is signed!)”
Arsenal should move for Gyokeres over Sesko
Sesko could be available for around £68 million, while Fabrizio Romano revealed this week that Gyokeres could be signed for less than £55 million.
This, along with a myriad of other factors, is a reason for Arsenal to sign Gyokeres over Sesko.
| Statistical Comparison 2024/25 (League Only) | ||
| Stat | Gyokeres | Sesko |
| Appearances | 33 | 33 |
| Goals | 39 | 13 |
| Assists | 7 | 5 |
| Shots per 90 | 4.08 | 2.5 |
| Expected Goals per 90 | 0.99 | 0.38 |
| Key Passes per 90 | 1.96 | 0.72 |
| Expected Assists per 90 | 0.22 | 0.06 |
As shown by the data above, Gyokeres is putting up significantly more impressive numbers, both from a goal-scoring and creative standpoint.
While the Leipzig man has the potential to develop into something special, it’s clear that the Sporting talisman is playing at a higher level right now, and that’s what Arsenal need for next season.
The Gunners’ window to win a major honour is in the next few seasons, and thus, they need someone who can hit the ground running and make a major impact immediately.
Gyokeres fits that bill, while Sesko is more of a project signing and certainly more of a risk.
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