We are heading into the home stretch of the transfer window, and as things stand, Arsenal are yet to make a move.
Mikel Arteta’s side are still just about in the Premier League title race but have been utterly decimated by injuries to key players such as Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Ethan Nwaneri, and now William Saliba, making their lack of business thus far particularly puzzling.
Add to this the fact that former title rivals Manchester City are going all out for signings this month and look set to land the tremendously exciting Omar Marmoush, and it’s easy to understand why some Arsenal fans are beginning to worry.
However, they may not need to for much longer, as recent reports have touted an inform striker for a move to the Emirates this month, a forward who could be their answer to Marmoush.
Arsenal target their own Marmoush
According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal have maintained their strong interest in RB Leipzig star Benjamin Šeško.
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In fact, the report has now revealed that the Gunners have ‘decided to step up’ their pursuit of the Slovenian and are willing to make an offer close to €70m – £59m – to get the deal done this month.
The report claims that this development is down to Arteta pushing the board, but as things stand, it’s unclear whether an offer such as this will be enough to tempt Leipzig into selling.
It could be an expensive and challenging transfer to get over the line this month, but given Šeško’s impressive form over the last year or so and the potential so many believe him to have, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he could be Arsenal’s answer to Marmoush.
Why Šeško would be Arsenal's Marmoush
Okay, so there are several reasons why Šeško would be Arsenal’s answer to Manchester City signing Marmoush this month.
The first is the straightforward fact that, like the defending champions, this signing would represent the North Londoners going big in the German transfer market and signing one of the most exciting players from the Bundesliga.
This point of similarity links to the second: this transfer would represent the Gunners’ signing of an incredibly dangerous forward who could be set to come in and immediately impact the first team, akin to the City target.
For example, in just 42 appearances for Leipzig last season, the Radeče-born “monster,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored 18 goals and provided two assists, while this year, he’s racked up 16 goals and assists in 25 appearances, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 2.1 games last season, and every 1.56 games this season.
For his part, the Egyptian phenom racked up 23 goals and assists in 41 appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt last year and a whopping 34 in 26 appearances this season, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.78 and 0.76 games, respectively.
Appearances
42
41
Minutes
2057′
3145′
Goals
18
17
Assists
2
6
Goal Involvements per Match
0.47
0.56
Minutes per Goal Involvement
102.85
136.73′
Appearances
25
26
Minutes
1768′
2070′
Goals
13
20
Assists
3
14
Goal Involvements per Match
0.64
1.30
Minutes per Goal Involvement
110.50′
60.88
Now, while the similarities between the two attackers and their potential moves to the Premier League are apparent, there are two key differences between them which could work in the Gunners’ favour, with the first being their ages.
The Kairo-born superstar is set to turn 26 in a couple of weeks, while the former RB Salzburg star won’t be 22 until the end of the season.
While that might not seem like much on paper, it does suggest that the latter will be able to perform at the highest level for far longer and has years to reach his full potential.
For example, according to research carried out by The Athletic a few years ago, the age at which wide players peak is 26, while centre-forwards tend not to reach their peak until 27, and when you take into account how much the Leipzig star has improved season on season, who knows how good he’ll be in five years or so.
Lastly, Arteta has shown a preference for signing physically imposing players in recent years, and at a mammoth 6 foot 5, it is fair to say that Šeško is undoubtedly the more intimidating forward compared to the 6 foot Marmoush, and the mere idea of the Slovenian powerhouse getting on the end of a Nicolas Jover set-piece should terrify the rest of the league.
Ultimately, Arsenal are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements this month, and while it won’t be cheap, the board must do all they can to sign Šeško or risk being left behind by their rivals.
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