DONE DEAL: Arsenal completes second transfer signing as star joined on Six-years deal
Arsenal may, once again, have to wait to sign a striker.
Indeed, after scouring the market for a new centre-forward all month long, Arsenal have seemingly only ended up down dead ends.
Arsenal bid for Ollie Watkins this week, but that deal is off, while Arsenal made an approach for Evan Ferguson that was also unsuccessful.
Arsenal may have to wait until the summer to get their new number nine, and after bidding for Watkins this month, the big question is whether or not the Gunners will go back for the Aston Villa star again.
Speaking on the TalkSPORT Transfer Notebook Podcast, Alex Crook has been discussing Arsenal’s transfer plans, and he says that Arsenal may be more likely to go for a younger option in the summer, touting Benjamin Sesko as a player the Gunners could go for instead.
Arsenal more likely to go for Benjamin Sesko than Ollie Watkins
Crook shared what he knows about Watkins and Arsenal’s summer plans.
The journalist says that Watkins would still cost more then £60m in the summer and Arsenal are more likely to go for a younger option such as Sesko.
“He’s 29 years old, and it will take a bid in excess of £60m to sign him and other options will be at the table in the summer.
“Benjamin Sesko, we know Mikel Arteta is a huge fan of him. He might well be open to the move from RB Leipzig and come the summer, if Arsenal can get someone younger than Ollie Watkins, I think that’s the route they will go down.”
Benjamin Sesko compared to Ollie Watkins
Arsenal’s stance here is very interesting to say the least.
On the one hand, signing a 21-year-old instead of a 29-year-old has its merits. After all, Sesko could be an option for the next decade, whereas you’d be lucky to get five more years out of Watkins at the top level at this point.
However, when you’re looking at who the better player is right now, it’s a no-brainer, and the stats show it.
It’s all well and good planning for the future, but, at some point, Arsenal need those short-term gains after going so close to winning the Premier League in recent years.
Arsenal know first-hand how important those ultra-experienced proven signings are. They sold Robin van Persie to Manchester United back in 2012 at the age of 29, and the Dutchman basically single-handedly decided the title race the next season.
Was Van Persie a long-term signing for United? Of course he wasn’t he left the club within three years, but he still goes down as one of the best signings the Red Devils ever made because of the impact he immediately made on his new team’s title hopes.
The £55m striker could be a great long-term option for Arsenal, but the Gunners do need a Van Persie type signing to take them to that next level right now.
