So far, Arsenal has not been able to bring any new striker, despite bringing both Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres to the sight for a long time. So what is the reason that the Gunners are so slow to “close” so?
Over a month has passed since the final match of the Premier League 2024/25, and many Arsenal fans are increasingly impatient at the quietness of the team in the transfer market. Nearly 700 million pounds have been spent by the Premier League teams this summer, but Arsenal has only spent 5 million pounds for Kepa goalkeeper.
The insecurity in a part of the fans is even more amplified by the notable contracts that the two direct rivals Man City and Liverpool have done. Man City spent more than £ 100 million for 3 contracts, while Liverpool brought to Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez for huge fees.
However, it would be wrong to think that Arsenal's silence means that the club has no plan or does not want to strengthen the force for coach Mikel Arteta. Gunners understand this is important summer, and they are pursuing ambitious plans. The new sports director Andrea Berta is currently negotiating in many different positions, standing out with a key striker position.
This is the most troublesome part. The question people ask: Who does Arsenal really want? The answer is still secret, and this has absolutely reason. According to the Telegraph, Berta is valuing various deals before Arsenal made the final decision. The top two candidates, Benjamin Sesko by RB Leipzig and Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting. Sesko was in the sights from a year ago, and Gyokeres was the “scoring machine” that was overwhelmed by the Portuguese league.
The Telegraph emphasized that many people within Arsenal have long appreciated Sesko, a younger -old player (22 years old), while Berta is a big fan of Gyokeres, currently 27 years old.
The problem lies in: it is impossible to make accurate decisions if the price is not clear. Therefore, Berta is pursuing both parallel deals, trying to maintain satisfaction from all parties. Notably, the German newspaper affirmed that Sesko was a priority target, and the Portuguese newspaper said the same thing about Gyokeres.
The “rotation of many plates at the same time” is obviously full of risk. A reputable source in Germany once affirmed that Sesko was the one who was “sure”, but only a few weeks later admitted “everything is now a mess”.
In Lisbon, the situation was “messy” equally when the Sporting President, Frederico Varandas announced a public statement after the news of Gyokeres was angry because of an oral agreement that allows him to leave for 68 million euros to be ignored by the club. Varandas affirmed that the club “did not subdue to the blackmail and insults”.
It does not exclude the possibility that Arsenal is pretending to pursue both to enhance the negotiation position. If Leipzig believes Arsenal can also sign with Gyokeres, they may accept Sesko at a lower price and vice versa. Obviously, if only viewed from the outside, it is difficult to understand the situation of Arsenal at the moment, when they are still in a position being forced by the opponent.
Therefore, without a reasonable strategy, Arsenal is very easy to fall into the case of being bought at a much higher price than market valuation – something that a sophisticated club like Gunners certainly wants to avoid. Before the existing confusion and struggle, Arsenal can still consider turning to an alternative target, like Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins – an experienced center that has affirmed its ability in the Premier League.
In addition, there are still other issues that Arsenal need to consider. Because Thomas Partey has now left in a free form, the Emirates team will almost certainly need another central midfielder to reinforce the squad for a long season. And yet, besides shopping, Arsenal also wants to renew with the pillars, with Bukayo Saka and William Saliba are about to be asked for a new contract.
Arsenal is also completing a professional contract for young talent Myles Lewis-Skelly, while Ethan Nwaneri is also negotiating. In terms of defense, the departure of Kieran Tiernney and the unclear future of Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko could force Arsenal to recruit new defenders. They still closely watched Ajax's Jorrel Hato, whom the Telegraph revealed that Arsenal had an eye on January 2024.
In the middle, what fans now see is only superficial. Arsenal is still operating at the backstage to bring the most suitable rookie Emirates, not just every striker position. Sesko, Gyokeres or any other striker, the answer will be available in the near future.
