The last month has not been ideal at all Arsenal.
by Mikel Arteta side have dropped points to Premier League and now they are going to be without the Bukayo Saka amulet for at at least a few months.
However, the only positive development was a return to form Gabriel Jesuswho has scored five goals in his last three games and looks far more dangerous than he did a month ago.
Unfortunately for the Brazilian though, it may be too little too late as recent reports have once again linked the club with one of Europe’s most exciting up-and-coming strikers, who could be his long-term replacement.
Arsenal transfer news
According to in reports from SpainArsenal have maintained their interest in RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Šeško and are now looking to seal a move to England in 2025.
The publication claim that after his impressive form for the German side this season, the Slovenia international has caught the eye of a number of 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 will have to offer to secure the 21-year-old’s services, with the report claiming that Leipzig will only listen to bids in excess of £70 million euros, which is approximately 58 million £.
It would still require a significant investment from Arsenal for this transfer to go through, but given Šeško’s ability and potential, it’s worth pursuing, even if it might be bad news for Jesus.
How does Šeško compare to Jesus?
So as things stand, it looks like Jesus has reclaimed his role as Arsenal’s number nine and given his five goals in the last three games, it’s a role he could hold on to for a while longer.
However, if the club were to go out and spend £60m on Šeško either next month or in the summer, they would 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 comes out on top in a direct comparison?
Well, when it comes to their clean sheet since the start of last season, it’s a pretty comfortable win for the Radeče-born “monster” as it was 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 matches.
Instead, the former Manchester City star has scored 14 goals and provided ten assists in 59 games over the same period, which equates to a rather disappointing average of being involved in a goal every 2.45 games.
Interestingly, things are a bit closer when we look under the hood at their underlying numbers from the start of last season, although the Leipzig gem still appear just ahead in the most relevant metrics.
|
Ferret vs. Jesus |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics per 90 |
Šeško |
Jesus |
|
Anticipated non-punishment G+As |
0.45 |
0.59 |
|
Real non-punishment G+As |
0.85 |
0.52 |
|
Shots |
2.58 |
3.30 |
|
Shots on target |
1.38 |
1.13 |
|
Goals per shot |
0.27 |
0.09 |
|
Goals per shot on target |
0.51 |
0.25 |
|
Goal Creation Actions |
0.42 |
0.52 |
|
Aerial duels won |
2.47 |
0.94 |
|
All stats via FBref for season 23/24 – 24/25 |
||
For example, while he is second best for expected goals without penalties plus assists, shots and goal-creating actions, he is comfortably ahead in metrics such as actual goals without penalties plus assists, shots on goal, goals per shot and shots on goal and aerial duels won. all per 90.
Additionally, the fact that the Sao Paulo-born ace has scored a ton of goals in the last month has improved his overall output per 90 figures, 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 will develop into a goalscoring phenomenon in the coming years, which could be the case for Šeško.
So while he will cost the club a significant amount of money, the Gunners should do everything they can to sign the Slovenian goal machine as soon as possible.
