A new striker could be on the cards for Arsenal this summer, with RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko one of the names linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Despite Kai Havertz's recent run of impressive form in the striker role, Arsenal have been missing a talisman in their side for the majority of the season, with Gabriel Jesus having scored just four times in the Premier League this season. a new striker is potentially on Edu Gaspar's transfer wishlist, and Sesko seems to fit the bill.

The Slovenian striker has impressed for RB Leipzig after moving to the German side last summer, scoring 15 goals so far in his debut season in Germany. According to reports, the Slovenia international has a £43million release clause in his contract which becomes active this summer, a much lower price than the likes of Ivan Toney and Viktor Gyokeres are rumoured to cost.

So, if Arsenal signed Sesko, could he add even more goals to the Gunners XI? Let's take a look.

Arsenal's 2024/25 season simulated with Benjamin Sesko

To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Sesko to Arsenal in the summer transfer window before simulating the 2024/25 season. This is how the RB Leipzig striker performed for the Gunners.

It took a while for Sesko to earn Arteta's trust in the simulation, with the striker only starting once in Arsenal's opening 15 games of the season. At the end of the campaign, Sesko had managed nine starts across all competitions while making a further 29 appearances off the bench.

Despite his limited game time, the Slovenian international scored 12 goals for the Gunners, with only Bukayo Saka (18) and Gabriel Martinelli (17) scoring more. He scored the same amount as Gabriel Jesus, despite the Brazilian playing 48 times.

At the end of the 2024/25 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:

Full Arsenal best XI: (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Partey, Odegaard, Rice; Saka, Sesko, Martinelli.

Sesko made the Arsenal best XI, joining Saka and Martinelli in the front three with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus both missing out. Jurrien Timber returned from injury to make the best XI at left-back, while Thomas Partey joined Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in midfield.

Sesko made most of his starts in the cup competitions, with the 20-year-old only making two in the league. His goal threat was seemingly missed, with Arsenal ending the season in third place.

24 wins, six draws, and eight defeats saw the Gunners end the season on 78 points, one less than Newcastle United in second and 11 fewer than champions Manchester City. Arteta's side started the season poorly where they lost four of their opening seven games, and ultimately, this was the downfall to their season.

But, it wasn't a season lacking in silverware for Arsenal, with the Gunners lifting the FA Cup.

Gabriel scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal edged past Crystal Palace to lift the FA Cup trophy. The Gunners' Champions League journey ended in the quarter-finals after a 4-3 aggregate loss to Porto, while a disappointing Carabao Cup campaign saw Arsenal eliminated at the first hurdle, losing 1-0 to Championship side Middlesbrough.

Overall, FM24 predicts that Sesko could prove his goalscoring threat in his first season at Arsenal, but a lack of trust from Arteta saw the striker's game time limited. With another season under his belt, the 20-year-old could easily develop into one of the deadliest strikers in the Premier League.

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