Benjamin Sesko pursuit has worrying déjà vu for Mikel Arteta & Arsenal

Benjamin Sesko would tick all the familiar boxes for Mikel Arteta, and that's bad news for Arsenal.

It seems Arsenal are serious about signing Benjamin Sesko this summer. Serious about footing a considerable bill of "over €80 million," according to Sky's Florian Plettenberg.

Sesko's club RB Leipzig would prefer an early sale, per The Athletic, so Arsenal may not have much time to haggle. That could be a problem when Sky Sports' Dharmesh Sheth reported "internal discussions are continuing about which one of the two strikers to prioritise" between Sesko and Sporting frontman Viktor Gyokeres.

This has been an ongoing debate, and it appears Mikel Artea wants Sesko, while Edu 2.0 Andrea Berta prefers Gyokeres. What's worrying is that Arteta appears to be winning.

Sesko would tick a lot of boxes for Arteta and his still-somehow-vaunted "project." The Slovenian striker is 22 and versatile.

In other words, Sesko can help Arteta sell a bright future. The Arteta era has been a PR pyramid scheme, promising future returns that never seem to materialise.

Arteta and the endless "process" will deliver. Honest. Okay, so it didn't work out last season, nor the four campaigns before that one, but this time WILL be different. So said every gambler and day trader ever.

Sesko would be the latest symbol of hope. The latest endorsement of faith in the as yet unseen. Yet, he'd be no guaranteed saviour because of a few depressingly familiar reasons.

Benjamin Sesko has worrying similarities to mistakes of Arsenal's recent past

If Arsenal sign Sesko, Arteta will be asking for yet another leap of faith from fans. Faith that he can develop a rising young talent into something special.

It hardly worked with Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares or even Gabriel Martinelli. Arteta can take some credit for how Bukayo Saka and William Saliba have developed on his watch, but Saka was already well on his way when Unai Emery gave him his big break, while Arsenal spending £27 million on a then-18-year-old Saliba back in 2019 spoke volumes about his readiness and natural ability.

Arteta refining Sesko's obvious potential into an attacker the rest of Europe will fear would be a tall order. Especially when Sesko is more a scorer of great goals than a great goalscorer.

If that reminds you of anybody, it should. Think Gabriel Jesus, Arteta's last attempt to shell out big bucks to solve a striker problem he helped create by giving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang away for nothing and winning exactly that since.

Jesus has scored some bangers in his Arsenal career, when he hasn't been injured, playing on the wing or relegated to the bench.

The Brazilian's inability to be a true No. 9 is partly why Arsenal are having to decide between dropping close to nine figures to get either Sesko of Gyokeres. Sesko will be the hipsters' choice because of age profile, athletic flexibility and resale value. All that good stuff that applies only in future land.

Welcoming Sesko to the Emirates Stadium would generate some initial excitement, but then would come the requests for patience, maturity and perspective. He'd be a young player finding his way in a team Arteta is still getting to refine for top dollar in year 6.5.

The problem is none of this fits the other narrative about Arteta's team. Namely, how the group is apparently merely on the cusp of project completion, the time when a new golden era begins, one defined by winning major prizes and rewarding all of that strategic squad building.

If this is true, then the Gunners should be in the business of buying finished articles. Proven commodities whose track records all-but assure adding the elusive final pieces of the puzzle.

That's not how you describe a young 20-something who scored just 13 goals in the Bundesliga last season and has never found the net more than 14 times in a league campaign. Yet, it may be how you describe a prolific target man like Gyokeres.

Gyokeres more of what Arsenal need

Arsenal need a finisher, a goal-getter by any means necessary. What Gyokeres was for Sporting during a 39-league goal campaign last season.

Unlike Sesko, who "often pulls to the flanks, creating space for others," according to WhoScored.com's Ben McAleer, writing for The Guardian, Gyokeres leaves no doubt. He's a classic centre-forward, plain and simple.

Sesko is compared to Erling Haaland, but it's Gyokeres who plays more like the throwback Manchester City No. 9. Put Gyokeres at the tip of this Arsenal team and everybody's jobs become simpler: pass him the ball, provide the chances and see the goals on the scoresheet.

Contrast that with what signing Sesko could mean. His flexibility would likely encourage one of Arteta's worst habits, indulging every supposed tactical nuance that pops into his head.

It would shock nobody to see Sesko playing on the left a few months into his Arsenal career while a midfield conversion project takes up space through the midde. The same thing wouldn't happen with Gyokeres in the starting XI.

Anyone concerned about the 26-year-old's age profile needs a reality check. Arsenal shouldn't be restricted to any one recruitment policy. Not in an era when Arteta has been allowed to freely spend exorbitant amounts on an annual basis.

The only requirement for transfers ought to be quickly improving a squad touted as primed for the big time. On that basis, giving Arteta yet more of what he wants with a deal for Sekso maintains a status quo Arsenal should be replacing this summer.

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