The club have got their striker, the choice has been made and it is not the player that it appeared to be at the beginning of the window. Benjamin Sesko was the club’s primary candidate for the role but with talks that took place with RB Leipzig it became clear a reasonable deal could not be agreed.
As a result, the club’s sporting director Andrea Berta has pivoted to a profile he certainly elevated the view of since arriving at the club in March, Viktor Gyokeres. football.londonis aware that the club were across the Swede’s progress in Portugal before the summer of 2024, but still Sesko was in the manager Mikel Arteta’s eye.
Arsenal have agreed a €73.5million (£63.7million) deal for the striker, including add-ons, and he is now making the requisite moves to London to complete the deal. Now that Gyokeres is known to be the man, it raises the question of what is different for Arsenal with their new number nine through the door.
In comparison to Sesko, there has to be an argument that the pressure is even higher for the soon to be former Sporting CP player. Some might argue that the pressure was always astronomical for both, and they would be right, but for me, the pressure is slightly more on Gyokeres for one key reason, his age.
Being 27 and not 22 like Sesko, Gyokeres will be expected to hit the ground running, as he is already in his prime. Yes, there will be some transition to the Premier League, but he has played against top-flight English clubs in the Champions League, including Arsenal. Where Sesko had room to grow into and a ceiling to reach, this is the Gyokeres in his prime form and moving into the campaign where he turns 28, the expectation is perhaps five goals more than Sesko.
I’d have looked at a tally of 20 goals in his first season for Sesko, whereas for Gyokeres I am expecting at least 25, barring injury of course. What’s more exciting is Arsenal still have Kai Havertz who I have still such a high level of regard for.
Arteta has options and with business not yet thought to be concluded, there could even be more firepower underway. Gyokeres will be the spearhead for sure, and now he is backed up by a new level of quality from what he had previously.
