Arsenal FC journalist Charles Watts has explained precisely how the Gunners responded to missing out on the signing of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko earlier this summer.
According to Watts, as he spoke exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Arsenal didn’t exactly set out to make a new signing up front a top priority ahead of this season, and it doesn’t seem like there was much of a search for a Plan B once the Sesko deal couldn’t be done.
Sesko looks an exciting talent and one imagines there will be clubs in for him again in the near future, though the Gunners will surely just face even more competition for his signature again in the future if he continues to develop at his current rate.
Arsenal looked to be taking a bit of a risk going into the new season without a new striker, though they do still have Kai Havertz in excellent form, while Gabriel Jesus remains an option, even if he’s been quite injury prone during his time at the Emirates Stadium.
Sesko transfer: Arsenal didn’t go after a Plan B
Discussing the Sesko interest and Arsenal’s other plans for a striker in the summer, 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.
“So it wasn’t a case of Arsenal going into the window determined to sign a new centre forward. They were always quite happy with what they had. He was just someone who was possibly available that they felt was worth moving for. When it didn’t happen, I was always of the opinion that a winger would be more likely to arrive than a forward in what time was left of the transfer window.
“What Arsenal’s move for Sesko did show was that they are willing to spend big money on a striker if they believe he is the right player. What they won’t do is just spend money for the sake of it and risk bringing someone in that they are not convinced will be the right fit or the right type of profile.
“So this summer they kept their powder dry and decided they had enough to get through this season with what they had. Next summer, however, could be a different story.”
