Arsenal's Striker Decision: Young Gun Benjamin Sesko or Prolific Viktor Gyokeres | OneFootball

Arsenal’s priority this summer is abundantly clear: sign a new striker. If only it was as straightforward as it is obvious.

The lack of orthodox centre-forward options has plagued Arsenal’s recent pushes for silverware and has often proven a decisive factor in make-or-break moments. Injuries in 2024–25 only exacerbated the issue for the Gunners, who can’t watch another transfer window pass by without signing a number nine.

The problem for Arsenal is the scarcity of elite strikers on the market. Alexander Isak is the dream recruit but the Swede’s gargantuan price tag will prove prohibitive to a deal, leaving Mikel Arteta and his recruitment team to look further afield.

RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško and Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyökeres are seemingly the next-best candidates and the exciting duo have occupied plenty of gossip column inches as speculation intensifies over Arsenal’s interest. There is a real possibility that one makes the move to north London this summer.

But should Arsenal be pursuing Šeško or Gyökeres?

Goalscoring Record

Gyökeres has been in devastating form over recent seasons. / IMAGO / Maciej Rogowski

There is simply no comparison between the pair when it comes to pure goalscoring. Šeško has scored 39 goals across the last two season after making the move to Leipzig, which is an impressive return for a 22-year-old in one of Europe’s top five leagues. But Gyökeres is simply in another stratosphere.

The 27-year-old, who has also been with Sporting for two campaigns, has scored 97 times for the Lisbon giants in just 102 matches, including a 54-goal season in 2024–25. While the opposition he faces on a weekly basis is weaker than that Šeško encounters, six Champions League goals in eight games this term—including a hat-trick against Manchester City—proves he’s capable of obliterating the best.

Both share similar attributes when it comes to their goalscoring technique, with power often prioritised over placement, but Gyökeres’s output is far more consistent.

Playmaking Ability

Šeško has time on his side when it comes to improving his weaknesses. / IMAGO/motivo

Once again, Gyökeres is the leading candidate. When compared to his Slovenian counterpart across the 2024–25 season, the Sporting striker dwarfs him when it comes to forging opportunities in the final third. The Swede averaged 4.75 shot-creating actions and 0.84 goal-creating actions per 90, whereas Šeško only managed 1.8 and 0.28 in those categories respectively.

Šeško’s shot-creation was worse than Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard across all competitions last season, with Gyökeres’s tally bettering the Arsenal trio. Again, the calibre of opposition must be considered when analysing the Sporting man, but he produced 12 assists in total—double the number of Šeško.

Gyokeres also boasted a much stronger pass completion percentage than Šeško (72.8% compared to 66.9%), although neither were able to surpass the 80% mark for short passes completed—something that could concern Arteta in open play.

One area in which Šeško comes out on top is dribbling, however. He completed 51.2% of his attempted take-ons last season for Leipzig, using his lengthy frame and super speed to fly past opposition defenders. Gyökeres boasts power and pace but is slightly more cumbersome when running at full tilt, something evidenced by his 42.2% take-on completion.

Transfer Fee

Gyökeres will command a hefty fee...but so will Šeško. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

Unlike last summer, Gyökeres will not cost more than Šeško. The Sporting striker boasts an £85 million ($115 million) release clause but the Portuguese club are expected to accept a significantly lower fee, reportedly around the £60 million ($81.2 million) mark. That would provide a sizeable saving to Arsenal from last summer, where the release clause would have to have been paid in full.

Šeško’s price has actually increased from this time last year after the forward signed a new contract extension and produced another impressive goalscoring campaign. It’s expected that the Leipzig star will fetch around £60 million, too, although that fee could rise towards £92.5 million ($125.2 million). Either way, it’s a significant outlay, but Šeško’s age—he’s five years younger than Gyökeres—would arguably make him greater value for money.

Final Verdict

Arteta and Arsenal have a big decision to make on their new number nine. / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Arsenal have some big questions to answer over what they desire from their new striker. The fact that they have reportedly made contact with Leipzig for Šeško suggests that they’re set to prioritise youth and potential over experience and immediate success.

Šeško is far less polished and will likely need more time to adjust to a new country, whereas Gyökeres is already in his pomp and has experience playing in English football. But at 27, there will be concerns over how long the Swede can maintain his level.

Šeško is arguably the smarter signing for the long term providing Arsenal can help him take the next step to elite level. He could be the starting striker for the Gunners over the next decade if he matures and fine-tunes his rough edges.

No matter who Arsenal sign, they will be adding a fantastic centre-forward to their ranks.