Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during the 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Arsenal have been warned against paying “crazy” money for the transfer of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.
It seems former Chelsea and France defender Frank Leboeuf isn’t at all convinced by Sesko, warning the Gunners that he’d give them no guarantees if he joined.
The talented young Slovenia international has impressed at Leipzig and has long been rated very highly across the game, but Leboeuf can’t see him making the step up to playing for a title-chasing Premier League team.
Speaking on ESPN in the video clip below, Leboeuf suggested Arsenal could be risking signing another Darwin Nunez or Jadon Sancho by paying €80m or so for Sesko…
“That’s crazy [Leipzig’s valuation for Sesko]. You have so many examples of clubs who have spent big money on players from smaller clubs,” Leboeuf said.
“Sesko plays for Leipzig, they are a family club and Arsenal are going to launch him into the Premier League?
“What is the guarantee you have that Sesko is going to produce? And you’re going to spend 80m euros on him? Look at Jadon Sancho, Darwin Nunez and so many others.”
Should Arsenal go for a more proven striker than Sesko?
There will likely be a few Arsenal fans who agree that Sesko doesn’t quite look good enough to be starting up front for a club with such big ambitions.
The 22-year-old has a record of 39 goals in 87 games in all competitions at Leipzig, and 16 goals in 41 caps for the Slovenian national team.
Even if he’s still young, those aren’t particularly mind-blowing numbers, and Arsenal really need a signing up front that can finally deliver them a major trophy.
Hugo Ekitike vs Benjamin Sesko (and Kai Havertz)
Are Arsenal signing the wrong striker? Me for @caughtoffside pic.twitter.com/OHvxvz9UAg
— Mark Brus (@MarkBrusCOS) May 31, 2025
Arsenal under pressure to have a strong summer
Liverpool and Manchester City have shown they’re not messing about this summer, and we’re also seeing signs of some ambitious business from Chelsea and Manchester United.
Arsenal made a real statement in the summer of 2023 when they responded to narrowly missing out on the title by signing Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya for big money.
Since then, however, they haven’t done enough, and if they can’t get it right in the transfer market this summer then there’s surely a risk of them dropping out of the top four next season, never mind missing out on another title.
