Berta is leading Arsenal's approach this summerplaceholder image
Berta is leading Arsenal's approach this summer | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal are still trying to get a striker signing over the line as we move further into the summer.
Arsenal are going to have to make a big decision that will define their transfer business, and perhaps their season. The Gunners are still searching for their first signing of the summer, and talks are ongoing over the signing of a striker, which is perhaps the most important item of business on their docket.
Mikel Arteta resisted the urge to sign a new striker both last summer and in the January transfer window, decisions that arguably went on to define their season after some misfortune with injuries in that area of the pitch.
But with Gabriel Jesus out until towards the end of this year, Arsenal know they must add a goalscorer to their ranks if they want to compete for a Premier League title and finally end their more than two decade-long wait to win another.
The Gunners have already been linked with a number of strikers, but there appear to be two genuine options. RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres are the main options, but neither will come cheap.
Sesko does appear to be the preferred option, with the Slovenian younger and already playing at a higher level of football. Sesko is also a player who likes to get involved in build-up play, and that’s something Arteta will like, as well as his versatility and ability to play in other positions.
According to a fresh report from The Sun, Arsenal are now willing to pay £70million to land Sesko, and that will likely be enough to strike a deal, but they are not happy with the striker’s wage demands. It’s claimed Arsenal feel as though Sesko’s wage ask is too big, and it’s reported they could turn to Gyokeres as a result.
Sesko’s agent, Elvis Basanovic, has recently spoke about the transfer saga. “Even if there may be - or will be - a strong desire of the player to move to a certain club, we will never force or blackmail RB Leipzig,” he told GiveMeSport. “I believe this is not the right way, because the way you actually exit from the club shows your values. Values that you are bringing into a new club.
“I can understand in very big transfers, there are a lot of different interests but no matter what, I believe in football world should be more respect. So that’s why we do things in the right way or we don't do them. It’s very simple, even maybe in the media it looks very complicated.”
Arsenal need to get the deal done
Arsenal cannot afford to miss out on a striker this summer, and they can’t afford to buy the wrong one, either. A fee of £70million is what you expect to pay for a high-level striker, and especially when there are few available. It’s also likely you are going to have to pay big wages.
The Gunners have not been fiscally responsible up to now, spending hundreds of millions over the last couple of summers, but they are now being hesitant on signing a frontman for those reasons. That’s something they should be doing, but on every other signing they make this summer apart from a striker. They need a frontman more than they need Martin Zubimendi or a player in any other position, and the Sesko deal should take absolute priority.
Continue Reading