Benjamin Sesco and Victor Gokeres could be lined up opposite each other this weekend when Manchester United travel to Arsenal after a rollercoaster summer.
Benjamin Sesco looked destined for Arsenal before signing for Manchester United (Image: Getty Images)
In a parallel world, Victor Gokeres and Benjamin Sesco could, and perhaps should, be in different positions at the Emirates on Sunday.
Manchester United striker Sesco was very close to joining Arsenal after a long and arduous transfer pursuit. And maybe, just maybe, United can get more out of Gokeres, who has struggled to adapt since his £64m move to Arsenal.
These were two of the most high-profile deals of the summer, when the Premier League spent big on strikers. Liverpool signed Alexander Isak for £125 million and Huge Ekitike for £79 million.
Arsenal have finally ended their long quest to sign a top-class centre-forward and splashed out all their money on Gökeres, signing the Swedish striker from Sporting Lisbon who scored 97 goals in 102 games for the Portuguese giants.
This was a sudden turnaround for Arsenal, who had previously been chasing RB Leipzig’s young Slovenian striker Sesko. However, Arsenal quickly set their sights on Gokeres upon the arrival of new sporting director Andrea Berta in March 2025, and Sesco’s progress has cooled since then.
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There is no doubt that they were singing the same hymn, with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta backing Berta’s appointment and no doubt having a big say in the transfer.
Gökeres’ argument against Sesko was that it was all about the here and now. Only 22 years old, Sesco was young, immature, and still developing. Gökeres is 27 years old.
Arsenal wanted a ready-to-go striker who could score goals, cross the goal line and win trophies right away. It was really simple.
Arsenal actually came closest to signing Sesco in the summer of 2024. They had strong talks with RB Leipzig, Sesco’s agent had been courted and Arsenal were ready to press the button on a deal that would be worth in excess of £45m.
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However, Sesco was unsettled at this stage as he was wary of moving to Arsenal and then having to share the striker role with the likes of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, despite having indicated that he preferred a move to the Emirates over anywhere else.
He felt he could develop better with another year at RB Leipzig, and Leipzig took the opportunity to renegotiate his contract and insert a more formal buy-out clause. Arsenal maintained regular contact throughout the 2024/25 season.
Even when Edu left and Jason Ayt (who took over the role of sporting director on an interim basis and is now at Brighton) left, the club continued to visit Germany regularly and stay in touch with families and agents, doing all the things a club chasing a high-profile target should do.
However, things changed when Bertha joined. Regular travel ceased and it became clear that Sesco was no longer the sole candidate. Although he was still in the mix, Berta was defending Gokeres.
Andrea Berta hits the table to bring Victor Gokeres to Arsenal (Image: (Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images))
However, it’s safe to say that RB Leipzig and Sesco were both left high and dry when Arsenal acquired Gokeres. The German club had high hopes for his departure. Suddenly, that was far from certain.
The Sporting world was not happy with Arsenal (to be fair, Arsenal were just trying to do what other clubs did by making a hard deal) and it soon became clear that the Portuguese club were pushing Gokeres to Manchester United.
Gokeres played under former United manager Ruben Amorim at Sporting, but the Swede has made it clear he is not interested. At that stage, he was probably better suited to United’s style of play than Arsenal’s, as they are more of a focal point than a pressing machine.
Sesco, on the other hand, reportedly rejected Newcastle and, despite the Slovenian having set his sights on Old Trafford at the time, Amorim was not completely convinced and wanted a more experienced striker. Gökeres might have been a better candidate.
In the end, United paid £74m for Sesco’s potential, while Arsenal paid £64m for Gokeres.
Sesco took time to adapt but is confident it will work out in the long run (Image: Getty Images)
United’s fan base is divided on Sesco. Scouts still maintain that he will perform well and become a prolific center forward because of his age, athleticism, and pace. However, Sesco apparently only came on the bench in Michael Carrick’s first game as United manager, as United beat Manchester City 2-0.
Arsenal fans support Gokeres. But despite scoring a super strike against Inter Milan in the Champions League, he really struggled. He doesn’t look at the same skill level as his teammates, doesn’t score enough points, and looks sluggish.
Back in August, Sesco and Gokeres didn’t even share minutes on the pitch when Arsenal beat United 1-0. Sesco came on as a substitute in the 65th minute and Gokeres scored the goal an hour later.
Arsenal and United will also be determined to show they have finally got the right striker when they meet on Sunday, but it seems likely that both teams will have something to prove.
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