Benjamin Sesko was long considered a top forward target for Arsenal, but three key issues ended hopes of a deal as focus turned elsewhere in the transfer market, leaving him to sign for Manchester United.
Arsenal invested more than a year tracking Benjamin Sesko, conducting detailed analysis on his development at RB Leipzig and maintaining contact with his representatives.
For long periods, he was regarded internally as the priority forward target. However, despite early groundwork, Arsenal ultimately abandoned their pursuit. It seems there were three main reasons for this.
The first reason was financial.
Leipzig were described by sources as “refusing to negotiate lower than €90 million”, and insisted on a substantial portion of the fee up front rather than in staggered payments.
Arsenal considered that sum well above their valuation and too great a commitment for a player still viewed as one with potential rather than a proven elite. In the end, Man United signed him for ‘just’ €76.5m, over €10m more than Arsenal paif for Viktor Gyokeres.
The second factor was the risk.
Early conversations with Sesko’s camp revealed wage expectations that would place him among the club’s top earners.
For a young forward with only two full seasons in a top-five European league and 21 goals last season (compared to Viktor Gyökeres’s 54), the risk of immediately placing him under the pressure of leading Arsenal’s attack triggered internal concerns.
A source described “alarm bells” over whether he was mentally prepared for the scrutiny that would come with being the focal point of the team and the price tag required to sign him.
The third was because of how slow it was moving.
Arsenal reportedly became frustrated with the pace of talks, which some claims linked to “problematic agents”.
With no sign of progress and interest emerging from Manchester United and Newcastle, attention switched to Viktor Gyökeres, whose record of 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting CP and willingness to help make the transfer happen made for quicker and cleaner negotiations.
Arsenal signed Gyökeres for far less than Leipzig’s valuation of Sesko and less than United ultimately paid. Arsenal also considered the Swede more Premier League-ready and a better fit for Mikel Arteta’s immediate plans.