It’s morning everyone.
Very quick Friday blog. Today’s main story concerns links with Slovenian striker Benjamin Cesko. Arsenal are ‘in a dramatic position’ to sign the 20-year-old from Obnoxious Sweet Energy Drink Leipzig, according to a report from John Cross.
Of course, we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out, but on paper this makes sense to me. I’ve said it often here, but I can’t see Arsenal shelling out £100m-plus in fees for players like Victor Osimhen or Viktor Gyokeres (not spoils for Victors – at least in north London this summer). Meanwhile, interest in Ivan Toney has waned. Pretty. Spending a lot of money on a Brentford man at the age of 28 didn’t seem like something we would do.
So the alternative was to go younger and look for someone with the potential to develop into a top striker, and in that respect Sesko fits the bill. Let me be clear, he is talented but still very raw. Like most 20-year-olds. The basic ingredients are there, he has a physical presence (he’s 6’5 – watch out in the corners!) and good technical ability, but clearly needs some polishing.
But when you have a coach like Mikel Arteta, that also makes some sense. Remember, this guy wanted Mykhailo Mudrik and felt he could mold him into something he hasn’t seen yet at Chelsea. That’s not to say he likes the project, but if you think about what team Sesko would be in, and what kind of team the managers we have would be in, you can see that the environment would be almost perfect for his development.
He’s not an immediate starter so the pressure won’t be that much and the fee, while big enough (£45m on offer), is only half of what Antonius is seeking in the current market. . I don’t think it’s the kind of price tag that will weigh on players. After all, we’ve shown that you can waste £60m and still get your money’s worth. Waka waka!
Again, this is just my guess, and will remain a guess until something is confirmed. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Arsenal start next season with Kai Havertz up front and Declan Rice in the left eight position we know him to be. The knock-on effect of that will probably be the need to sign a deep-lying midfielder like Martin Zuvimendi. At least that is as long as Newcastle pursue a near-£100million signing for Bruno Guimaraes. I don’t think we will pay that money, and I don’t think we should pay that money. You probably have other goals for the position.
Adding a forward like Sesko creates real depth at center forward. And while we are worried about signing a winger, having him and Havertz as strikers and Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus (hope he is 100% fit), Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard as wide options is a big plus. A very tasty forward line. Anyway, let’s see what happens with this. But there is a lot of smoke that could become a fire.
Here’s the essential YouTube compilation of his goals/assists (left foot, right foot, head) from last season: Take a look.
Okay, I’ll leave it there for this morning. But below is the new Arsecast. We chat to Harry Symeou about the manager’s new contract, summer transfers and more.
enjoy!
