Arsenal will be hoping that Benjamin Sesko can repeat his early impression at RB Leipzig, in north London, after hearing of the Gunners' target and the impression he made on his current team-mates. The towering 6'5" striker made his way to Germany amidst much excitement after sealing a £20million move to the Red Bull Arena in 2023.
At just 22, Sesko had already made waves with Red Bull Salzburg and Liefering in Austria's top division before making his big-league debut two years prior. Ridle Baku, who joined Leipzig from Wolfsburg in January, was quick to heap praise on the young talent. The German international revealed that it was clear from their first training session together just how gifted the striker was.
"Our striker Sesko, I was really impressed, to be honest," he confessed to FourFourTwo in March. "The first training session, I knew already that he's a good player. But I'm speaking about potential, probably he's not [currently at] potential he could be, but right now, what I saw already, very impressive. He has everything to be a world-class player."
Arsenal are banking on this assessment being accurate as they eye a move for the forward. However, reports suggest the deal may fall through due to the steep wage demands put forth by Sesko and his representatives.
Physically, Sesko is an impressive specimen, with his towering frame complemented by an unexpected burst of speed for someone of his stature, drawing comparisons to a certain Scandinavian striker at Manchester City.
The Gunners are poised to end a seven-year drought of signing Bundesliga players, but only if a transfer fee can be agreed upon, with Leipzig reportedly demanding up to £85m for their prized player. Baku isn't the only teammate to lavish praise on Sesko, with Yussuf Poulsen, a longtime Leipzig player, hailing him as "the best" attacking partner he's had the pleasure of playing with."
"As a striker, he's the best I've played with," Poulsen told TNT Sports last year. "If you look at his abilities, he has everything a top number 9 needs. He's still young, he still needs to learn, not the technical things about being a striker but maybe more the finesse side. He has everything, strength, shooting, technique, everything."
"I like working with him and I'm trying to get him there - he'll go on and score a lot of goals for us and at some point, go to the club he'll love to play for."
The Slovenian star aligns with the age profile that Arsenal have been focusing on under Mikel Arteta. Edu, the former sporting director, once pointed out how older players with less resale value were "killing" the club and changed the philosophy to recruit younger, more ambitious players.
Sesko is far from being a complete player, like most prospects at the age of 22. However, a record of 39 goals and eight assists in 87 appearances for Leipzig is certainly something Arsenal can utilise.
The rising talent scored a career-best 21 goals in all competitions this season and found the back of the net in five consecutive league matches during the winter period. He also scored both home and away against Bayern Munich, despite one of those being in a 5-1 loss, suggesting he has the ability to handle top-tier opposition defences.
Arteta has taken pleasure in developing young talents to the next level during his tenure at Arsenal, with Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Myles Lewis-Skelly being current examples. There's ample evidence to suggest Sesko could be the next to flourish under his guidance should Arsenal opt for his signature this summer.