It would be fair to say that the last couple of weeks haven’t been particularly enjoyable for the Arsenal faithful.
They’ve seen their team drop more points in the Premier League, crash out of the FA Cup and given themselves an extraordinarily large hill to climb in the League Cup, and then, to top it all off, Gabriel Jesus is now out with an ACL injury.
Altogether, this has made the need for a new attacking signing this month all the more pressing, and one of the names that keeps popping up is Dušan Vlahović.
The Serbian international is an incredibly talented forward and someone who’d certainly improve Mikel Arteta’s squad, but based on recent reports, the club could end up signing another striker who’d be an even better addition.
Arsenal plot striker swoop
According to a recent report from journalist and transfers expert Ben Jacobs, Arsenal have maintained their strong interest in RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Šeško.
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Interestingly, Jacobs has revealed that the Slovenian international was “sold” on the North Londoners project in the summer but opted to remain in Germany as he believed it was “best for his short-term development.”
However, Jacobs does pour some cold water on the news by claiming it’s “unclear if Sesko could be persuaded to move mid-season.”
A potential price tag is not mentioned in the journalist’s report, but stories from last month claimed that Leipzig would demand at least €70m for their star attacker, which comes to about £59m.
In all, it could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given how well Sesko is playing this season, his age and his potential, it could prove to be value for money down the line and a better investment than signing Vlahovic.
How Šeško compares to Vlahović
So, if Arsenal are currently looking at both Vlahović and Šeško as potential additions to the squad, either for this month or in the summer, which one should they go for?
Well, when we compare their pure output from this season, which is, of course, what matters most for a centre-forward, it’s a close-run thing, but it’s the Leipzig star who comes out on top.
In his 24 appearances so far, totalling 1683 minutes, the unreal “monster,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored 12 goals and provided three assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.60 games, or every 112.20 minutes.
In contrast, the Juventus star has found the back of the net 12 times and provided two assists in 23 appearances totalling 1873 minutes, meaning he is averaging a goal involvement every 1.64 games, or every 133.78 minutes.
Unfortunately for the Serbian international, he comes out an even more distant second-best when we take a look under the hood and compare their underlying numbers from this season.
Progressive Passes
1.95
0.88
Progressive Carries
2.11
0.95
Shots
2.36
3.48
Goals per Shot
0.24
0.06
Shots on Target
1.22
1.02
Passing Accuracy
69.2%
67.6%
Shot-Creating Actions
1.87
1.91
Goal-Creating Actions
0.33
0.07
Successful Take-Ons
1.46
0.27
For example, the Leipzig star, whose “ball striking is a joke” according to Mattinson, comes out ahead in almost all relevant metrics, including but not limited to actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, shots on target, successful take-ons, goal-creating actions, aerial duels won and more, all per 90.
Finally, while there isn’t a massive difference in their ages, the fact that the Slovenian is three years younger at 21 and already outperforming his former Fiorentina star further cements the idea that he is the forward with a higher ceiling.
Ultimately, while both players are incredibly talented and would surely improve Arsenal’s frontline, it is quite clear that Šeško is the better option and therefore, the Gunners must do what they can to sign him as soon as possible.
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1 ByJack Salveson HolmesJan 15, 2025