Arsenal have had a concrete approach to their transfer deals since Mikel Arteta took over as head coach. However, things could change when The Gunners target RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko. Since 2018, they have not directly signed any Bundesliga players.
The Gunners have likely bought players from across Europe and even the Brazilian market in recent years, but the Premier League remains a popular shopping destination.
From Aaron Ramsdale to Ben White, Arsenal often prioritize players with experience in England. Those faces have built their reputation and are more likely to succeed in a tough tournament like the Premier League.
Putting faith in other national players and the tournament is considered an adventurous gamble. There is a general consensus that stars from La Liga will have a higher success rate.
Meanwhile, Arsenal mainly target defenders from Serie A. Ligue 1 has many young talents and South America is also a similar treasure trove for promising players. However, Arsenal have stayed away from signing German players.
Arsenal's squad is a combination of academy players and established Premier League stars. Even Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus have done well in their roles at the Emirates in the 12 to 18 months after joining from Manchester City.
Outside England, the "Gunners" recruited Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard from two Madrid sides. In addition, there are the central defender pair Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba from French clubs. Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu also attracted attention in Serie A before moving to north London.
However, Arsenal have not signed a Bundesliga player since 2018. A move for Sesko could change that.
The Emirates team has missed the striker's deal for months ahead of EURO 2024 and Sesko's value continues to increase. The last players to join Arsenal from Germany were Bernd Leno and Sokratis 7 years ago. The interest in Sesko is similar to Arsenal's £60 million move to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before.
Aubameyang has had a successful spell at the Emirates but has already established his position on the big stage, unlike Sesko. He scored 13, 16, 25 and 31 Bundesliga goals in his four full seasons at Dortmund before leaving.
Aubameyang also made a strong impression in the Champions League and was significantly older than Sesko when he joined Arsenal.
In contrast, Sesko is still quite young compared to Aubameyang. There is an excitement to exploit his raw potential before it fully blossoms, but this approach also has its own risks.
Now 22 years old, Sesko has had an impressive scoring season in Germany and shows exactly why he has attracted great attention. However, there are concerns about how Sesko has adapted to the English football environment.
While the striker can prove his key role in Arsenal's title hopes, there are still many factors to consider. With the difficulty of players moving from Germany to England, it is easy to understand why there is caution.
Havertz's move to Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 is a typical example. The Blues struggled to find the perfect position for Havertz at the start.
Havertz has finally settled into the role of a striker. Arsenal hoped to turn him into an attacking midfielder for the 8th time but failed. The German player has lost some of his fineness in playing style, being strong in the air but lacking flexibility.
Sesko may not need to change too much as he is a striker, but there will be a period of adaptation. Both Timo Werner and Christopher Nkunku have signed for Chelsea from RB Leipzig and have struggled for various reasons. Dominik Szoboszlai was luckier at Liverpool but played in a deeper position.
Arsenal seem determined to do something they have not done for the past 7 years when trying to recruit Sesko from the Bundesliga. Before signing Aubameyang, Arsenal's last players to move from Germany were Lukas Podolski in 2012 and Per Mertesacker in 2011.
