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Transfers
Arsenal may be more likely to sign £55m attacker than Ollie Watkins
Arsenal may, once again, have to wait to sign a striker.
Indeed, after scouring the market for a new centre-forward all month long, Arsenal hav🐓e seemingly only ende🔯d up down dead ends.
Arsenal bid for Ollie Watkins this week, but that deal is off, while Arsenal made an approach for Evan Ferguson that was also unsuccessful.
Arsenal may have to wait until the summer to get their new number nine, and after bidding for Watkins this month, the big question is whether or not the Gunners will go back for the Aston Villa star again.
Speaking on the TalkSPORT Transfer Notebook Podcast, Alex Crook has been discussing Arsenal’s transfer plans, and he says that Arsenal may be more likely to go for a younger option in the summer, touting Benjamin Sesko as a player the Gunners could go for instead.
- READ MORE: Ga♐ry Lineker gives his theory over why Raheem Sterling is struggling so badly at Arsenal
Arsenal more likely to go for Benjamin Sesko than Ollie Watkins
Crook shared what he knows about Watkin♎s and Arsenal’s su🦩mmer plans.
The journalist says that Watkins wou♏ld still cost more then £60m in the summer and Arsenal are more likely to go for a younger option such as Sesko.
“I think Ollie Watk🦹ins will stay, but then you ask the question, do they go back in the summer?’ Crook said.
“He’s 29 years old, and it will take a bid in excess of £60m to signꦦ him and other options will be at the table in the summer.
“Benjamin Sesko, w𓃲e know Mikel Arteta is a huge fan of him. He might well be open to the move from RB Leipzig and come the summer, if Arsenal can get someone younger than Ollie Watkins, I think that’s the route they will go down.”
Benjamin Sesko compared to Ollie Watkins
Arsenal’s stance here is very interesting to s♚ay the least.
On the one hand, signing a 21-year-old instead of a 29-year-old has its merits. After all, Sesko could be an option for the next decade, whereas you’d be luck൲y to get five more years out of Watkins at the top level at this point.
However, when you’re looking at who th🌃e better player is right now, it’s a no-brainer, and the stats show it.
| Benjamin Sesko | Ollie Watkins | |
| Games | 49 | 60 |
| Goals | 22 | 29 |
| Assists | 4 | 18 |
It’s all well and good planning for the future, but, at some point, Arsenal need those short-term gains after going so close to winning the Premier League in recent years🐽.
Arsenal know first-hand how important those ultra-experienced proven signings are. They sold Robin van Persie to Manchester United back in 2012 at the age of 29, and the Dutchman basically single-handedly decided the title ♏race the next season.
Was Van Persie a long-term signing for United? Of course he wasn’t he lไeft the club within three years, but 🍷he still goes down as one of the best signings the Red Devils ever made because of the impact he immediately made on his new team’s title hopes.
The striker could be a great long-term option for Arsenal, but the Gunners do need a Van Persie type signing to take them to that next level rig❀ht now.