Online Reporter
ARSENAL are searching for the missing piece to their puzzle, keen to add a deadly striker to their squad to help them go one step further than their three consecutive second place finishes.
That search appears to have returned two options − RB Lepizig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting Club’s Viktor Gyokeres.
Mikel Arteta wants Sesko to be his big summer splash, but the Gunners have hit a stumbling block over wage demands.
The Slovenian’s camp are searching for a pay packet far in excess of what Arsenal are willing to pay the 22-year-old, an issue that is stalling a bid and could force a change of direction.
Gyokeres is Arsenal’s alternative option, with the Swede ready to leave Sporting after racking up an astonishing goalscoring record.
Gyokeres wants to move to the Premier League and is up for grabs this summer, but the 27-year-old is becoming aware he is a second choice.
Arsenal haven’t committed to either player yet and it looks like both are still viable options ahead of a crucial campaign for Arteta and his team.
Here SunSport breaks down how each player stacks up against one and other and who might be the best fit for the Gunners…
Benjamin Sesko
Age: 22
Club: RB Leipzig
24/25 apps: 45
24/25 goals: 21
24/25 assists: 6
Benjamin Sesko is regarded as one of the brightest sparks in world football, a young striker with the potential to be a world beater in the future.
Sesko scored 21 goals from 45 appearances last season, six more than the return of any Arsenal player, but some way off the numbers that the top strikers across Europe put up.
He is playing in a league that is considered as one of the best in world football, with the Bundesliga’s reputation far better than the Portuguese top flight.
While he managed four goals in eight Champions League appearances last term, proving he can do it against the best with goals against Juventus, Atletico Madrid and indeed Gyokeres’ Sporting Lisbon.
Viktor Gyokeres
Age: 27
Club: Sporting Lisbon
24/25 apps: 52
24/25 goals: 54
24/25 assists: 13
If Benjamin Sesko is the unfinished article, is Viktor Gyokeres the ready-made goal machine?
Gyokeres scored an astonishing 54 goals in 52 appearances for Sporting this season, making him the deadliest forward in Europe.
In the league, Gyokeres scored 39 goals in just 33 games − registering seven assists alongside that return too.
However, there are question marks over how much those goals mean when they come against the quality of opposition that Sporting are facing in the Portuguese top flight.
Against the likes of Porto, Braga and Benfica (the top sides in the Primeira Liga alongside Sporting), Gyokeres managed only two goals in six games.
While of the 39 goals he did score in the league, almost A THIRD of them were penalties (12).
However, it’s hard to look past such an impressive record, regardless of the opposition.
Well, it appears the concern over the quality of Portuguese football is a genuine one, and one with a history of not paying off.
Arsenal will want assurances that their Portuguese purchase is a Bruno Fernandes and not a Darwin Nunez − Sun.
