Šeško or Gyökeres: The transfer that could win Arsenal the Premier League

FourFourTwo

Arsenal need a striker — not just a good one, a title-winning one. But who fits Arteta’s system? Who delivers a trophy this season? PapaPincus is back in the FourFourTwo studio to break down Sesko, Gyökeres, and the wildcard option that no one's talking about. Let’s talk about the transfer that could win Arsenal the Premier League.

Transcript

00:00Sesco, Sesco, Giocares, Sesco, Giocares, Giocares, Sesco, Sesco, Giocares.

00:06What is happening?

00:08Papa Pink is here with 4-4-2.

00:10Let's talk about it.

00:14N5, aka the carpet.

00:17AKA the team that finished second three years in a row

00:20because they don't have an out-and-out striker

00:23to put the ball in the back of the bloody net.

00:26AKA Arsenal.

00:27The way I view Arsenal is like they're a Michelin star kitchen

00:32with no chef to plate the food

00:34or a Porsche with no driver

00:36or a beautiful ball delivered into the six-yard box

00:39with no one there to tap it in.

00:42Think about the margins the past few seasons.

00:45One goal here, one more goal there

00:47and the Premier League title is red and white.

00:50But no, because instead of a 25-goal striker,

00:53they had a committee of, he's good, but not great.

00:56Kai Havertz, he's been serviceable.

00:59A great utility man.

01:00Scores a fair few goals.

01:02Some may say much better than expected,

01:04but he's just not winning you a league as your number nine.

01:07Gabriel Jesus.

01:08Incredible work rate.

01:10So technically gifted.

01:12But you can't press your way to 90 points

01:14if your striker's hammy gives in every winter.

01:17The striker situation is not just a small problem.

01:19It is the problem.

01:21The midfield's elite.

01:22The defence is elite.

01:23The wingers, electrifying.

01:25But when you need that killer in the box,

01:27that cold-blooded finisher,

01:28to turn 1-0 up into a 3-0 cruising,

01:31Arsenal look around and nobody's there.

01:34Look at the amount of one-pointers

01:36that should have and would have been three

01:38if they had a proper number nine.

01:40Home and away to Brighton.

01:41Home and away to Everton.

01:42Home to Palace.

01:43Home to Brentford.

01:44Away to Fulham.

01:46Need I continue?

01:47And against all odds,

01:49it seems as though Mikel Arteta

01:51might have actually finally realised this.

01:54Can you believe it?

01:56Two names have been going back and forth

01:58and back and forth and back and forth

02:00and you know who they are.

02:02Benjamin Sesko and Victor Jokerez.

02:05Let's break down what each player would bring

02:06to this Arsenal side tactically and stylistically.

02:10Benjamin Sesko, the 22-year-old Slovenian,

02:13has basically been linked to Arsenal

02:15every single day for the past year.

02:18Twitter, TikTok, Insta, Reddit.

02:21He's always on someone's quote-unquote

02:23perfect striker list.

02:25And it's not rocket science to see why.

02:27Sesko is all about athleticism and verticality.

02:31He is huge.

02:33Six foot five.

02:34He's quick, ridiculously quick.

02:37He loves to run in behind,

02:38loves the space

02:39and gives you a proper outlet

02:40when teams press high.

02:42He's not a link-up striker.

02:43Never has been and never will be.

02:45He's not dropping into midfield

02:47like Harry Kane

02:48and pinging 40-yard diagonals.

02:50Sesko sits on the shoulder,

02:52stretches back lines

02:53and keeps defenders honest.

02:54Which would create that much-needed space

02:56for Odegaard, Saka and Martinelli

02:59to operate in those half spaces

03:01that they love.

03:02He's also lethal in transition,

03:04something Arsenal don't currently have.

03:07Imagine winning the ball back.

03:08Rice feeds it into Odegaard.

03:10One signature pass over the top,

03:12Sesko's gone.

03:13You're not getting anywhere near him.

03:15Giesel was a basketballer

03:16to the age of 15.

03:18He's a ridiculous athlete.

03:19You see how high he jumps?

03:21One time I saw him score a header

03:22and he came down

03:23with frost on his bonnet.

03:25Downside?

03:26He's still very raw.

03:28Only 13 Bundesliga goals last season.

03:30And let's be real,

03:31it's difficult to look at that

03:32and confidently say,

03:34yep, that's Arsenal's

03:3520-25 goal a season, guy.

03:37He's not putting up monster numbers yet.

03:40That's the truth.

03:41But, here's the flip side.

03:43At Arsenal, he'd be feasting.

03:45This is a team that creates a ton of chances,

03:47especially from wide areas and cutbacks.

03:50The kind of chances Leipzig

03:52just don't produce

03:53with the same volume or consistency.

03:56So while 13 goals

03:57might not scream world beta yet,

04:00in Arteta's system,

04:01with Odegaard threading passes,

04:03Saka dragging full-backs,

04:04and Martinelli or even maybe Rodrigo

04:07bombing in behind,

04:08Cesc could easily go

04:09from promising to prolific fast.

04:13Leipzig want a deal

04:14somewhere between 68.4

04:16and 85.5 million pounds.

04:19That's a lot of money.

04:21It's a gamble.

04:22You're betting heavily on potential

04:23and not proof.

04:25And Arsenal need it now.

04:27But if it clicks,

04:28big if,

04:2925 goals in this Arsenal side

04:31is far from out the question.

04:33But if Arsenal want guaranteed impact,

04:36if they want a striker

04:37who's putting up Pele numbers,

04:39ripping teams apart

04:40in every competition he plays in,

04:42the other option probably favours that.

04:45Enter Victor Gjokic,

04:47the name on every big club

04:49that needs a striker's lips.

04:51An absolute goal machine.

04:53Last season,

04:5450 games,

04:5554 goals,

04:5612 assists.

04:57Season before that,

04:5950 games,

05:0043 goals,

05:0114 assists,

05:0397 goals

05:04in his last 102 games.

05:07What?

05:08What?

05:09What are Arsenal doing?

05:10This doesn't need to be overanalyzed.

05:12The geezer was put on this planet

05:14to score goals.

05:16When the doctor delivered

05:16baby Gjokic on June 4th, 1998,

05:19he said to his mum,

05:20I'm terribly sorry love,

05:22but it seems as though

05:23your son's only duty in life

05:24is to put the ball

05:26in the back

05:26of the f***ing net.

05:2827 years old,

05:30entering his prime

05:31£84 million release clause.

05:33I'm waiting for a catch.

05:35And here's a bit of

05:35sickeningly bizarre breaking news.

05:37Gjokic has recently followed

05:39a London guard dog service

05:40on Instagram.

05:42The same one

05:42David Reier

05:43and Ben White use.

05:45Ozil Kolasinac

05:46and Reece Nelson

05:47also used to use

05:48the same service.

05:49Make of that

05:50what you bloody will.

05:51So here's where we land.

05:53Sesco ceiling,

05:54sky high.

05:55It could be special,

05:56but there's still

05:57guesswork involved.

05:58Development,

06:00finishing,

06:01consistency,

06:02adapting to pressure.

06:03Gjokic,

06:04there's no guesswork.

06:06He's absolute chaos.

06:07Elite end product.

06:09A proper problem

06:10for defenders.

06:11A solution

06:12for title races.

06:14If Arsenal want

06:14a striker to grow

06:15with the project,

06:16maybe it's Sesco.

06:17But if they want

06:18to end that drought

06:19of lifting a trophy

06:20now,

06:21there's only one answer

06:22and that's

06:23Victor Gjokic.

06:24You know what?

06:25While Arsenal fans

06:26are busy,

06:27fresh in Sesco

06:28and Gjokic updates

06:29every 15 minutes,

06:31let me throw in

06:31a little wild card.

06:33And then you haven't

06:34seen trending.

06:35And then it's not

06:35in every fan compilation,

06:37scout thread

06:38or dream summer window.

06:40But maybe,

06:41just maybe,

06:42the Giza Arsenal

06:43should also be looking at

06:44Jean-Philippe Mateta.

06:47Jean-Philippe Mateta

06:48is criminally underrated.

06:51Let's start with the numbers.

06:52Last season,

06:5317 goals,

06:544 assists.

06:55Season prior,

06:5619 goals,

06:576 assists.

06:59That's elite level output

07:00considering he's been playing

07:01in a palace side

07:02that for large parts

07:04of the seasons

07:05couldn't pass water.

07:06Let alone create

07:07chances consistently.

07:09Mateta thrives

07:10in tight areas.

07:11He's not flashy dribbler

07:13or a silky creator,

07:14but inside that 18-yard box,

07:17so deadly,

07:18it hurts.

07:19One or two touches,

07:20bang,

07:21finish.

07:22Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

07:24Mateta's in the room.

07:27What I love about Mateta

07:29is he stays central

07:31with elite holdup,

07:32pins centre-backs

07:33and brings others into play.

07:35We saw it

07:35in the FA Cup final

07:37against City.

07:37Just look

07:38how instrumental he was

07:40for Eze's game-winning goal.

07:41Proper number nine.

07:43And off the ball,

07:44he presses

07:45like a madman,

07:46cuts passing lanes

07:47and forces mistakes

07:49without just sprinting

07:50for the sake of it.

07:51On the ball,

07:52world class

07:53with his back to goal.

07:54World class.

07:55One-touch layoffs,

07:57bounce passes,

07:58third-man runs,

07:59all the things

08:00Arteta has baked

08:01into this Arsenal set-up.

08:03And most importantly,

08:05he attacks space

08:06between the posts.

08:08Arsenal create those chances,

08:10they just don't have someone

08:11who's always there

08:12to finish them.

08:13Oh,

08:14and yeah,

08:14he's six foot four.

08:16Deceptively quite quick

08:18as well

08:18and only just turned 28.

08:20He's entering his prime.

08:22No 100 million euro price tag,

08:24no mystery clause,

08:26no waiting for potential

08:27to click.

08:28He's ready now.

08:30Arsenal want a clever signing,

08:31a plug-and-play striker

08:32who guarantees goals.

08:35Jean-Philippe Mateta.

08:37Say it with your chest

08:38before everyone else does.

08:40And that's all for now.

08:42Till next week.

08:43Boom, boom, boom, boom.

08:45Mateta's in the room.

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