Arsenal may have stopped their pursuit of a striker after they failed to land Benjamin Sesko after the RB Leipzig star stayed in Germany.
According to Charles Watts on Caught Offside, Arsenal may have abandoned their search for a new striker once they failed in the pursuit of Benjamin Sesko. The Slovenian attacker was a target but chose to remain at RB Leipzig to continue his development as a critical player in the Bundesliga.
Arsenal’s Benjamin Sesko chase
Earlier in the summer, it was tough to read Mikel Arteta’s mind when it came to transferring ideas. A section wanted a new striker, while others wanted the Gunners to focus on bringing in a winger as a cover for Bukayo Saka.
They ended the transfer window on deadline day with the latter as Raheem Sterling arrived on an opportunistic loan. Arsenal expert Charles Watts believes the Chelsea winger was a fantastic deal for the Gunners. However, he also spoke a deal about Benjamin Sesko and what the club did in the aftermath of failing to sign the Slovenian.
Arsenal reportedly made an offer for Sesko as he had a modest release clause, which felt like an opportunity for Arteta and the club. However, the 21-year-old attacker chose to remain at RB Leipzig to prolong his development here and may have even signed a new deal at the club.
Charles Watts insisted that once the Sesko deal fell through, Arsenal did not prioritise or chase a new striker. There were other links to the likes of Victor Osimhen, Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak; the Gunners did not chase another centre-forward as Arteta kept faith in his existing options.
Watts said, “There was lots of talk about Arsenal signing a striker during the summer, but I never got the impression that was something they were really looking to do once their move for Benjamin Sesko proved unsuccessful.
“Sesko was a player they had tracked for a while and – thanks to his release clause – they felt he was available at a price that was under his actual market value. It was an opportunity they felt was too good to pass up.”
“That’s why they tried to get a deal done, but I never looked at it and thought that if they signed him, that he would be coming in as first choice starter ahead of Kai Havertz. He was always more of a development signing. Someone who would get plenty of game time, but would be more of a squad addition at first rather than a starter.”
Did Arsenal need a new striker?
There was an ongoing argument or narrative that any team that aims at winning the Premier League will need a striker that could score 20-25 goals while constantly pointing the finger at Manchester City and their frontman Erling Haaland. However, the Gunners were able to distribute the goals within the team, as they only scored five shy of Man City last season.
In Kai Havertz, they have a frontman that suits how Arteta wants the No.9 to play in the role, and the German might be his first-choice striker this season. They also have Gabriel Jesus, although the manager will hope the Brazilian maintains his fitness for a prolonged period as he has been in-and-out ever since signing for the club two years ago.
