The last month or so has been far from ideal for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side have dropped points in the Premier League and are now set to be without the talismanic Bukayo Saka for at least a couple of months.
However, the one positive development has been the return to form of Gabriel Jesus, who’s bagged five goals in his last three games and looks far more dangerous than he did just a month ago.
Unfortunately for the Brazilian, though, it might be too little too late, as recent reports have once again linked the club to one of Europe’s most exciting up-and-coming strikers, who could be his long-term replacement.
Arsenal transfer news
According to reports from Spain, Arsenal have maintained their interest in RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Šeško and he now wants to seal a move to England in 2025.
The report claims that following his impressive form for the German side this season, the Slovenian international has caught the eye of several potential suitors heading into next year.
While this competition is far from ideal for the Gunners, the good thing is that they now know how much they’ll need to offer to secure the 21-year-old’s services, as the report claims Leipzig will only listen to offers in excess of €70m, which is about £58m.
It would still require a significant investment from Arsenal to get this transfer over the line, but given Šeško’s ability and potential, it is worth pursuing, even if it could be bad news for Jesus.
How Šeško compares to Jesus
So, as things stand, it would appear that Jesus has reclaimed the starting number nine role at Arsenal, and given his five goals in the last three games, it’s a role he could be set to keep for a little while longer.
However, if the club were to go out and spend shy of £60m on Šeško either next month or in the summer, they’d surely only do so with the intention of giving him as many minutes as possible, putting him in direct competition with the Brazilian.
With that said, which one of them comes out on top in a direct comparison?
Well, when it comes to their pure output since the start of last season, it’s quite a comfortable victory for the Radeče-born “monster”, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson.
For example, he has found the back of the net 29 times and provided five assists in 65 appearances, which equates to a goal involvement every 1.91 games.
Well, when it comes to their pure output since the start of last season, it’s quite a comfortable victory for the Radeče-born “monster”, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson.
For example, he has found the back of the net 29 times and provided five assists in 65 appearances, which equates to a goal involvement every 1.91 games.
In contrast, the former Manchester City star has scored 14 goals and provided ten assists in 59 games across the same period, equating to a rather disappointing average of a goal involvement every 2.45 games.
Interestingly, things are a little closer when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers since the start of last season, although the Leipzig gem still comes out just ahead in the most relevant metrics
For example, while he’s second best for non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots and goal-creating actions, he is comfortably ahead in metrics like actual non-penalty goals plus assists, shots on target, goals per shot and shot on target and aerial duels won, all per 90.
Moreover, the fact that the Sao Paulo-born ace scored a flurry of goals in the last month has improved his overall per 90 numbers, which could be misleading without that added context.
Ultimately, while Jesus is still a brilliant footballer and a player who could be a valuable asset for Arsenal, it seems unlikely that he’s going to develop into a goalscoring phenomenon in the coming years, which could be the case for Šeško.
Therefore, while it will cost the club a significant amount of money, the Gunners should do what they can to sign the Slovenian goal machine as soon as possible.