Benjamin Sesko sends Arsenal transfer message as he shows up Haaland on international duty
The sight of Benjamin Sesko looking every bit the natural goalscorer Arsenal need while he is on international duty will cause some pain for Mikel Arteta. Erling Haaland might even have cause to be concerned about his Golden Boot trophy.
The 21-year-old scored a marvellous hat-trick to inspire Slovenia to a 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. It wasn’t so much the fact he scored three times that was frightening, but rather, the consummate ease in which he dismantled the opposition defence.
With 23 minutes gone, Sesko picked up the ball from deep where the danger was minimal. But with a quick turn of pace, he was off. Past one, then another, hurdle a challenge, nutmeg another defender.
With goalkeeper Igor Shatskiy rushing off his line, the Slovenian starlet showed his composure by lifting the ball over the Kazakhstan stopper. It was a finish that Haaland himself would have been delighted with.
It wasn’t long until he doubled his tally for the night to put himself on a hat-trick, which he sealed just after the hour mark. He rose to meet a free-kick in a chillingly similar way to how Haaland towers above defenders, nodding home his third of the night from close range.
Interestingly, only three days earlier, Haaland and his Norway team had travelled to the Kazakh city Almaty in what appeared to be a nailed-on three points. Instead, the Scandanavian outfit returned home with a 0-0 draw and a frustrated Haaland on the plane.
The Manchester City star may have scored seven goals in three Premier League games, but he fired a blank in front of goal despite five shot attempts.
Meanwhile Sesko, only aided by the home advantage playing in Ljubljana, showed up the Norwegian star by notching two goals in the first half alone.
His goalscoring exploits for RB Leipzig put him on the radar of Europe’s elite this summer, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all interested in signing the explosive striker. His £54.8million release clause had a part to play, given his age and enormous potential.
However, the youngster opted to shun interest in him and sign a new contract with the Bundesliga outfit, dealing a blow to Arteta, who was desperate to sign a new No. 9 after watching City’s Haaland dominate the goalscoring charts.
Over the past two seasons, Arsenal have come extremely close to beating City to the Premier League title. But the Spaniard appears to have recognised the small margins are what matter.
And there is no denying that while the Gunners have several players contributing goals, none come close to Haaland’s tallies of 36 and 27 in his first two seasons at the Etihad.
Based on this display and his performances in the Champions League, Sesko might just be the man to give him a run for his money – if they can convince him this time.
