Viktor Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko: Which striker should Arsenal buy this summer?

2. Aerial threat

From finding the net to simply offering an outlet for long balls, Mikel Arteta puts great emphasis on aerial threat.

And Sesko fits the bill. The Slovenia international stands at 6ft 4in and uses his height to good effect, averaging 2.56 aerial wins per 90. That focal-point nature makes him a big draw for the boss and is important to this team, with a height advantage sorely lacking up front for us since the injury to Kai Havertz.

Meanwhile, despite his tall frame, Gyokeres is much weaker in the air. He ranks in the 18th percentile for aerials won across ‘Men’s Next 14 Competitions’ (so not even among peers in the top five leagues in Europe) and hardly ever scores with his head, with none of his 52 goals in 2024/25 coming via this route.

Perhaps it is not a deal-breaker, but Arteta is known for ‘marginal gains’ and he will want players who tick every box – Sesko just needs to develop his existing repertoire; Gyokeres, it seems, simply cannot do it.

Verdict: Benjamin Sesko

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