Andrea Berta talked Mikel Arteta into Arsenal transfer he initially wasn't sure about | OneFootball

Arsenal director Andrea Berta was reportedly the key driving force behind the signing of Viktor Gyokeres last summer.

The new sporting director joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid and immediately became an influential figure, as he seemingly talked Mikel Arteta round on bringing in Gyokeres instead of Benjamin Sesko.

That’s according to a report from the Athletic, which states that Berta did not view Sesko as good value for money, though he would have been willing to compromise if Arteta really insisted on him over Gyokeres.

In the end, it seems Arsenal managed to come to an internal agreement, with Berta winning this particular power battle and getting the striker he favoured.

Was Viktor Gyokeres signing a mistake by Arsenal chief Andrea Berta?

Gyokeres has not had the most convincing debut season at the Emirates Stadium, while Sesko ended up joining rivals Manchester United.

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All in all, it’s not that easy to see who got the better deal, with neither player hitting the ground running in English football so far, though Sesko is younger and perhaps looks the more well-rounded player overall.

See below for a graphic comparing various aspects of the two players’ games, with a pretty mixed picture emerging…

Viktor Gyokeres vs Benjamin Sesko stats comparison (DataMB)

Still, with strikers it’s arguably goals that matter most, and Gyokeres has the slightly better scoring record this season, albeit from playing more games and with the benefit of better teammates and a more settled squad in general…

Gyokeres was hugely prolific at Sporting Lisbon, but was perhaps never likely to be able to repeat those crazy numbers in the Premier League.

Sesko, meanwhile, was already performing in a more competitive league overall, even if it’s still a step up from the Bundesliga to the English top flight.

Arsenal fans may be frustrated, however, at Berta’s decision-making here, as Gyokeres has so often looked out of his depth at this level, with some good finishing but not much else to offer to the team.