Expert insight from Germany 

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As the transfer window kicks into top gear, rumours are beginning to circulate about a number of deals that could take place this summer. One persistent area of interest remains around Arsenal’s hunt for a striker, and recent reports suggest their no.1 target is none other than RB Leipzig’s towering striker Benjamin Sesko. Transfermarkt understands Arsenal are now advancing in negotiations for the Slovenian forward, with discussions underway and proceeding well between all parties involved. Sesko has a current market value of €70 million, although a potential deal is expected to cost the Gunners between €80m-€100m. The north London club have also shown interest in Sporting striker Viktor Gyökeres.

So is Sesko what the Gunners need? And is he ready to hit the ground running in the Premier League? It’s difficult to avoid direct comparisons between Sesko and Man City striker Erling Haaland. Both played for Red Bull Salzburg before heading to the Bundesliga. Both players are six-foot-five. Both have been tipped as one of Europe’s top prospects at a young age. Ultimately Haaland has gone on to prove he is world class and his goals were perhaps the difference between Pep Guardiola’s team and Mikel Arteta’s side in the 2023/24 season. Last term the lack of a prolific goalscorer again held Arsenal back. They may need their own Haaland, and could be hoping Sesko, who turned 22 at the end of May, develops into just that in the future, although our German expert has compared him to another Premier League forward.

Is Benjamin Sesko ready to hit the ground running in the Premier League?

In terms of output, Sesko enjoyed his best ever season at top-level football in the 2024/25 campaign. As illustrated in the graphic above, he managed to provide 27 goal contributions (21 goals and six assists) across the course of last season. Whilst those numbers are certainly not sensational, they are adequate, and there is the sense that there is huge potential for the Slovenian to explode in the future. Alexander Binder is Transfermarkt’s Chief Editor in Germany and tells us more about Sesko’s style of play: “Sesko is a quick, physically dominant centre-forward who thrives in transitions and is a real aerial threat,” he explained. “Over two seasons at RB Leipzig, he started out as an impact sub but gradually cemented his place in the starting XI. During that time, his market value nearly tripled—from €24 million to €70 million.”

Whilst the notion of getting anywhere near Haaland’s output in the future has been mentioned and some Arsenal fans have fantasised about Sesko developing in the same manner that Alexander Isak has during his time at Newcastle, it was another Premier League striker that Binder drew comparisons with: “His playing style is reminiscent of Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez,” the German revealed. Now this is a description that may not be met with exhilaration by the Arsenal faithful, given that Núñez struggled to get into the Liverpool team last season, missed numerous guilt-edged chances, and is likely to be sold this summer. However, one trait that both players do have is that they’re raw. Sesko is not the finished article.

Whilst this would suggest that Sesko is not ready to hit the ground running in the Premier League, there are some factors that could propose otherwise. Arteta has proven he can get the best out of a player who is not a ready-made firing no.9. Due to an injury crisis up-top, Arsenal were forced to play central midfielder Mikel Merino up front for the best part of three months during last season’s run-in. “He [manager Mikel Arteta] told me to come in as a striker this morning. It is the first time in my career that I’ve played that position,” said Merino after coming off the bench to score a brace against Leicester back in February. The Spaniard scored six goals and provided three assists in 12 games as a striker for Arsenal. There is the sense that if Arteta can do that with a fairly defensive midfielder, then he may be able to work miracles with someone with the potential of Sesko.

“The Premier League looks like a natural fit for him,” explained Binder. “His pace and physicality would make him a real handful for defenders. Arsenal, in particular, seems like a great tactical match-up. However, to become a truly elite striker, he still needs to sharpen his finishing. In both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 Bundesliga campaigns, he ranked among the players with the most big chances missed.” Kai Havertz may have missed most of the second half of last season through injury, but he is still a player very liked by Arteta and will likely continue to play a key role for the Gunners either up front or in a midfield role. However, the stick he is usually beaten with is that he is not clinical enough in front of goal, and supporters will be hoping Sesko is more prolific. The pair could well compete for the no.9 role next season.

Rejecting Manchester United

Several Premier League clubs have been rumoured to be interested in Sesko for a while now, as well as Saudi Pro League clubs reportedly trying to lure him to the Middle East. One club who were consistently linked with him in the past were Manchester United, and the Red Devils came very close to signing him from Red Bull Salzburg many moons ago. Sesko spoke exclusively to Transfermarkt in 2023 about that failed deal: “The thing is, I was not really into that kind of conversation,” Sesko said when confronted with Man Utd’s interest in signing him. “But I think it was better just to come here,” Sesko added referring to RB Leipzig. Man United instead opted to bring in Danish striker Rasmus Højlund that summer for €73.90m.

Instead, Sesko opted to remain within the Red Bull system, becoming the 20th player to move from Salzburg to Leipzig. Leipzig secured the striker in the summer of 2022, but left him in Salzburg for one more season, where he scored 16 goals and four assists in 30 Austrian Bundesliga games. “It was really important for me to go to a place that was playing a similar style of football,” Sesko said when asked about choosing Leipzig over other clubs. “I already knew what to do and didn’t have to go through an entire learning process again.” It will, however, most likely be a huge learning process if Sesko is now to go to Arsenal and work under the rigorous tactical management of Arteta.