When Arsenal face Manchester United on the weekend, Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko will rekindle their rivalry, but it’s a debate that might end up with another player entirely as the winner.
It’s an open secret that Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres were two major moving parts of the summer transfer window.
Gyokeres’ links to Man Utd drew strength from Ruben Amorim’s presence, while Sesko was Arsenal’s target for a while before they settled on the Swede.
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Amad and Bryan Mbeumo celebrate
Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images
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Both found new clubs ultimately, but swapped their likely destinations, forever tying their fates together.
Viktor Gyokeres celebrates scoring for Arsenal in pre-season.
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Gyokeres-Benjamin Sesko debate formed in the summer
It was in the summer when both Arsenal and United were looking for striking reinforcements.
Gyokeres was linked to United repeatedly, but Arsenal zeroed in on him after getting rejected by Sesko early in the window.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for United, who, in Amorim’s opinion, needed a proven striker. Arsenal, on the other hand, wanted to develop Sesko as a project.
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Such was fate that United got the project striker and, reportedly, Arsenal’s first choice in Sesko, while Amorim’s target, Gyokeres, was signed by Arsenal.
At Old Trafford, the tremors of that move were felt so strongly that Sesko became one of the players Amorim was frustrated at, because he wanted Ollie Watkins as the alternative instead.
Nevertheless, the striker merry-go-round ensured that Gyokeres and Sesko’s destinies will forever be linked. Perhaps not quite at the level of Henrich Mkhitaryan and Alexis Sanchez, but close enough.
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It sums up the predicament of Sesko and Gyokeres that, as the second meeting between Arsenal and United rolls around, neither is guaranteed to start the game.
Michael Carrick masterminded United’s win over City by playing Bryan Mbeumo as the striker, dropping Sesko to the bench.
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United/Arsenal 2021 graphic
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Expect him to retain that fluid attacking setup against Arsenal as United try to do to the Gunners what they did to them at Old Trafford – sit back and counter-attack.
As for Arsenal, their win against Inter saw Gyokeres score, but he has largely struggled this season, and Mikel Arteta’s preference to have Kai Havertz as a roaming striker is no secret.
If Arsenal are challenged by United to break them down, then having Gyokeres at the tip of the attack engaging in physical duels with Harry Maguire makes no sense.
The debate might be centred around Gyokeres and Sesko, but six months on from the summer, Mbeumo and Havertz are likely to decide the game for their respective teams in this fixture.
It sums up the state of modern football and the predicament traditional strikers find themselves in.
United fans will still hope Sesko comes off the bench, and if he makes a decisive impact on the game, the debate will be settled, at least for this season.
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