‘Arsenal groundwork completed for Benjamin Sesko signing’
Arsenal are in desperate need of a centre-forward, and long-term target Benjamin Sesko could be making his way to the Emirates this summer.
The Gunners were dumped out of the Champions League by PSG at the semi-final stage, and many believe Arsenal only have themselves to blame after not signing a striker last summer.
Mikel Arteta’s side are set to finish second in the Premier League for the third consecutive year in a row, after Liverpool clinched the title with four games to go.
Kai Havertz is the Gunners’ top scorer domestically, although the German only has nine goals to his name, highlighting the issues up front.
With both Havertz and Gabriel Jesus out injured, Arteta was forced to use Mikel Merino as a centre-forward, a move which eventually came back to bite them in the Champions League.
Arsenal may opt for Sesko move
There has been a lot of talk about who Arsenal will bring in to fill the goalscoring hole they have in their current squad.
According to BBC Sport’s (8 May) Sami Mokbel, RB Leipzig’s Sesko has been a long-term target for the Gunners and was close to joining the club last summer.
Mokbel added that much of the groundwork has already been completed, and the only reason Arsenal didn’t pursue a deal for the Slovenian in January was because they didn’t want to antagonise the German club ahead of a summer bid.
| Games Played | Goals Scored | Assists | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
| 31 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
Sesko is just 21, and has already scored 26 goals this season for club and country in all competitions.
Both Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres are also on Mikel Arteta’s shopping list, although for the former, cost may prove to be a stumbling block in getting a deal over the line.
Arteta must get summer window right
Football Insider Verdict
Arsenal fans were fuming with Arteta after their Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of PSG, and the Spaniard may not have much credit left in the bank.
There are only so many times that you can fall just short and get away without consequences, and it feels as if Arteta has to win something next season to stay in his job.
Arsenal have not won a trophy since the 2020 FA Cup Final, when they beat Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley, and that is simply not good enough for one of the biggest clubs in England.
If the Gunners sign a world-class striker, capable of scoring 25-30 goals a season, then they will surely take that step and pick up some much-needed silverware.
However, if they get this summer window wrong and fail to bring in a centre forward of sufficient quality, then come this time next season the same questions will get asked.