Benjamin Sesko has been hailed as “the best striker I have played with” by one of his experienced teammates amid continued talk of a possible move to the Premier League.
Last summer the Slovenian international, 21, was chased by Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United but ultimately stayed at RB Leipzig after agreeing to extend his contract. But a move to England is still a strong possibility, especially as the Emirates are long-time admirers looking for a new striker.
Since joining Leipzig from sister club Red Bull Salzburg in 2023, Sesko has scored 31 times in 67 games. But it's not just his goalscoring record that should make potential suitors swoon, it's also the high rating he receives at the Red Bull Arena.
Speaking to TNT Sports in December, Yussuf Poulsen, who has largely played second fiddle to Sesko for the past 18 months, insisted that the youngster was “the best I have played with”. This is quite a compliment considering some of the strikers he has worked with over the years, including Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku, United's Rasmus Hojlund, Tottenham ace Timo Werner and La Liga goal machine Alexander Sorloth.
“If you look at his abilities, he has everything a top number 9 needs,” said 86-cap Denmark international Poulsen. “He is still young, he still has to learn, not the technical things of being a striker, but perhaps more the finesse.
“He has everything: power shooting, technique, everything. I like working with him and I'm trying to get him there. He will score a lot of goals for us and at some point he will go to the club.” like to play for.”
The Gunners are favorites to land Sesko and are planning a move in the summer, although a January move has not been completely ruled out, according to The Telegraph. Responding to speculation about Sesko's move to the Emirates Stadium, player agent Elvis Basanovic told Slovenian TV channel Arena Sport: “I think you should ask Mr Arteta that.
“But I think Sesko would fit in with many clubs because he has different football skills. He can play alone in attack, with two strikers, a little further back. He has length, speed, technical speed.” When Basanovic specifically asked if Arsenal had made any inquiries, he added: “I can't answer that question for you.”
He also revealed that a future transfer will only be considered if the move benefits Sesko's development. It is understood the striker turned down a move to Arsenal in the summer because he feared he would be second choice behind Kai Havertz up front.
“Benjamin Sesko really shines, I think this is a development phase. I think we have already shown in the past that we stick to the development path, that we do not look at the current form,” Basanovic explained. “Our decision on the next step, the transfer, has never and will never come from current form, but from who can offer Sesko the best platform for his development.
“We can see that this is our decision [to stay at Leipzig] That's right, six months later he is already a better striker than last season. What he lacks is experience. We can't forget that he is only 21 years old, so we didn't want him to go to the Premier League this summer. There were concrete options, but we consciously chose to stay in the Bundesliga to give him time to develop and develop into a better striker.”
Sesko's contract runs until 2029 and does not include a release like his previous deal. This means that prying him away from Leipzig's hands could cost a hefty sum. When asked how much it would cost for the club to consider a sale, Basanovic said: “I don't think Leipzig would be satisfied with any compensation at the moment. Leipzig don't want to sell Benjamin Sesko because they really value him very much.” .”
In addition to Sesko, Arsenal are also considering a move for Newcastle's Alexander Isak and Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres. Both players are on fire at the moment, with Isak scoring fourteen goals in his last thirteen Premier League games and Gyokeres already scoring 32 goals in all competitions this season.
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