Arsenal were close to signing Benjamin Sesko before they ultimately made a move for Viktor Gyokeres this summer.
The Gunners’ transfer priority heading into the window was to acquire a new number nine who could compete with Kai Havertz for a starting place in Mikel Arteta’s team.
After months of pursuing Sesko, Andrea Berta backed out of a move for the 22-year-old, refusing to meet RB Leipzig’s excessive asking price.
Gyokeres signed for £63 million instead, with his Slovenian counterpart eventually moving to Manchester United for £74 million.
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesWhat Arsenal noticed about Benjamin Sesko’s data
Mikel Arteta was supposedly obsessed with Sesko, as were many in Arsenal’s recruitment team.
However, Berta took a different approach to the Spaniard and was unwilling to pay in excess of £70 million for a player who might not help Arsenal win in the 2025/26 season.
The former RB Salzburg man is a project that needs developing, while Gyokeres is more ready to hit the ground running.
This is the conclusion that Berta came to, and according to journalist Miguel Delaney, the data supported this perspective.
“What Arsenal’s analytics had on Sesko and Gyokeres, the kind of data had them actually at a pretty similar level right now,” Delaney said on the Second Captains podcast.
“Gyokeres may be more dependable at the moment, but the big thing with Sesko is, he’s got a much higher ceiling.”
“Arsenal did do 18 months of work on Sesko.
“It was expected they would get him right up until May until there was a change in strategy related to the price, related to the way their transfer structure works. And the new sporting director, Andrea Berta, didn’t want to go to that price on Sesko.
“But of course, on the flip side of that was Gyokeres, yes, the language Arsenal used was on the here and now.
“That’s why Gyokeres was signed. He’s five years older than Sesko. He’s more of a proven scorer, but as you say, not without red flags.”
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty ImagesViktor Gyokeres vs Benjamin Sesko statistical comparison
Sesko’s data certainly isn’t at a similar level to Gyokeres right now.
The latter beats the former in almost every single metric, including goals, shots, expected goals, key passes and expected assists.
That said, Gyokeres was performing in a less challenging league, and it’s reasonable to assume that 22-year-old Sesko has a higher ceiling based on the statistics they’ve produced throughout their respective careers.
Statistical Comparison 2024/25 (League Only)StatGyokeresSeskoAppearances3333Goals3913Assists75Shots per 904.082.5Expected Goals per 900.990.38Key Passes per 901.960.72Expected Assists per 900.220.06Benjamin Sesko vs Viktor Gyokeres Statistical Comparison 2024/25 (League Only)
It’s clear from the data that Berta’s verdict was correct; Gyokeres is the better player right now and can provide more value to Arsenal in the immediate short term, which is what the Gunners need.
It remains to be seen whether the Italian sporting director made the right decision, although the early signs from pre-season are encouraging for Arteta.