FULL AGREEMENT REACHED: Arsenal reached full agreement to sign another player as the Gunners are tirelessly working to seal two signings today
The transfer window has only been open for nine days, but Arsenal are already embroiled in something of a saga.
The Gunners have been heavily linked with RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko since last summer, and while he remains in Germany at the moment, things are begging to move.
Reports from late last week revealed that the Slovenian striker wants to move to the Emirates, but is he really the answer for Mikel Arteta’s side?
While that remains to be seen, the club are still on the lookout for alternatives, and now reports are linking them to someone who could be an upgrade on Sesko.
Arsenal’s striker search
Before getting to the star in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other strikers linked with Arsenal in recent weeks, such as Jonathan David and Julian Alvarez.
Due to his contract with LOSC Lille coming to an end this month, the former would be a free signing, and a great one at that, as in 49 appearances this season, he scored 25 goals and provided 12 assists.
Alvarez was equally effective this term, racking up a tally of 29 goals and seven assists in 54 appearances, but with a release clause reportedly worth £126m in his current deal, it seems unlikely that he’d be on the move this summer.
Fortunately, another striker has now entered the picture: Samuel Omorodion Aghehowa.
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several teams currently interested in the Porto star.
The report claims that alongside the Gunners, Chelsea, Manchester United, Aston Villa, and others are set to ‘battle it out’ for the 21-year-old goalscorer.
However, on top of dealing with the competition, the North Londoners will need to stump up a lot of cash, as the report has revealed that Porto want at least €75m – £63m – for their star striker and that they are in no rush to sell as he has a €100m – £84m – release clause in his current deal.
It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Samu’s ability and potential, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he could be an upgrade on Sesko.
How Samu compares to Sesko
So, if Arsenal’s reported interest in Samu continues to grow, and things get to a point at which they have to choose between him and Sesko, who’d be the better signing?
Well, if we are going to compare strikers, the first port of call is their raw output, as, ultimately, that is what matters most for players in their position.
Interestingly, it’s the young Spaniard who comes out on top here, as in just 42 appearances, totalling 3175 minutes, the “inevitable” 6 foot 4 goalscorer, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, put the ball in the back of the net 25 times and provided three assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.5 games, or every 113.39 minutes.
In comparison, the Leipzig star scored 21 goals and provided six assists in 45 appearances, totalling 3258 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.66 games, or every 120.66 minutes.
Okay, what about their underlying numbers, then? Who comes out on top when we take a look under the hood?
Well, it’s more bad news for the Slovenian star, as while he does do better in some areas, such as shot-creating actions and progressive passes, he comes out second-best in the majority of relevant metrics.
For example, the Melilla-born “powerhouse,” as dubbed by Mattinson, does far better when it comes to expected and actual non-penalty goals plus assists, shots and shots on target, goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, while both players look to be hugely promising strikers, Samu simply does better when we look at their raw output and underlying numbers, so Arsenal should probably do what they can to bring him to the Emirates this summer, as he seems to be an upgrade on Sesko.
