Sesko to Arsenal? RB Leipzig striker draws parallels with Erling Haaland

Arsenal are considering a £70m move for Benjamin Sesko this summer but what makes the RB Leipzig striker so appealing?

The 22-year-old is a long-term target for Arsenal and Sky in Germany have reported that talks have already taken place between the two clubs over the finances of a potential transfer.

Sesko has scored 39 goals in 87 games for RB Leipzig since joining from Red Bull Salzburg two years ago but what qualities would he bring to Arsenal? And could he really be the next Erling Haaland?

Haaland-esque speed and stature

His scoring record is modest by comparison but Sesko is a rare breed of striker with a similar physical profile to Haaland. At 6ft 4in, he is exactly the same height and similarly quick.

His stature allows him to play the role of a targetman, holding the ball up, bringing team-mates into play and providing an outlet for long passes, crosses and set-piece deliveries.

Arsenal do of course already have a player who can fulfil that role in Kai Havertz but Sesko's appeal lies in the fact that, like Haaland, he combines those qualities with explosive pace.

Last season in the Bundesliga, Sesko's top speed of 35.69 km/h put him 26th among 492 players to feature in the competition. He ranked even higher in the previous campaign, at 15th.

Havertz has many strengths but pace is not one of them. His top speed last season was much lower than Sesko's at 33.42 km/h, putting him 212th among 574 Premier League players.

Only Gabriel Martinelli clocked a higher top speed than Sesko among Arsenal players last term. The numbers highlight both Sesko's pace and the need for more of it in Arsenal's attack.

Fast-break threat

Sesko's speed can stretch and destabilise defences. It is also a devastating weapon on the break and on transitions, something he has demonstrated throughout his time in Germany.

RB Leipzig are known as one of the country's most effective counter-attacking teams - their total of 17 counter-attack goals since the start of last season is the second-highest among Bundesliga sides, behind only Eintracht Frankfurt - and Sesko has been a big part of it.

His total of five fast-break goals across the last two Bundesliga seasons puts him third in the division, behind his RB Leipzig team-mate Lois Openda and former Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush, who have scored six each.

Sesko's most recent example came during a 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich in May, when he accelerated away from Eric Dier to latch onto a Xavi Simons pass and send a superb, first-time finish past stranded goalkeeper Jonas Urbig from long range.

That attack saw the ball travel from the edge of RB Leipzig's box to the back of the Bayern Munich net in a matter of seconds and it was enabled by Sesko, whose speed and ruthless efficiency could be harnessed in similar style by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.

Of course, Arsenal are not a counter-attacking team in the same way as RB Leipzig. But Arteta has gradually increased the emphasis on fast breaks over the course of his tenure.

Last season, Arsenal scored more fast-break goals than in any of the previous four seasons under Arteta, their total of nine putting them behind only Liverpool and Tottenham in the Premier League. They also registered their highest totals for shots and expected goals from fast breaks under Arteta.

The addition of Sesko could accelerate that counter-attacking evolution and it is worth noting that it is not just in open spaces that he is able to carry the ball upfield.

Unusually for a player of his stature, Sesko is also an accomplished dribbler with the technical skill to beat defenders in tight spaces before accelerating towards goal.

His average of 1.46 successful take-ons per 90 minutes was in fact the highest of any out-and-out striker in the Bundesliga last season, highlighting another area of strength.

Ball-striking brilliance

Sesko's scoring rate dipped slightly as RB Leipzig endured a poor campaign last term but his penchant for the spectacular remains, thanks largely to his outstanding ball-striking ability.

That opening goal against Bayern Munich in May, curled around Urbig using the outside of his boot from 40 yards out, was one of four he has scored from outside the box in the Bundesliga since the start of last season. Only a handful of players have scored more.

Even fewer can claim to have found the net from distance with the same level of ferocity.

Sesko is able to generate astonishing power with his shots, as seen most memorably with his stunning strike against Werder Bremen in January, rifled into the top corner from 25 yards out. The ball was later revealed to have travelled at a speed of 126.43 km/h.

Arsenal have some clean strikers of the ball in Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri and Declan Rice but none of Sesko's ilk among their options at No 9 in Havertz and the injured Gabriel Jesus.

Sesko's goal against Werder Bremen, like the one against Bayern five months later, was hit with his stronger right foot but he can muster similar power using his weaker foot too.

Playing for Slovenia in a Nations League game against Sweden in September 2022, he scored a sensational, left-footed volley which drew comparisons with Marco van Basten.

Sesko's willingness to shoot from improbable angles and unlikely positions can, on the flip side, be frustrating. His average of 0.15 expected goals per shot last season was considerably lower than those of Haaland or Havertz, at 0.21 and 0.22 respectively. His chances were of relatively low quality, in other words.

It is also worth noting he has significantly overperformed relative to his expected goals at RB Leipzig, scoring 27 times in the Bundesliga from only 17.7 xG. The numbers raise questions over whether his scoring rate is sustainable.

At the same time, though, knowing what he is capable of, it is easy to see the logic behind his ambitious shot choices. And given Arsenal's propensity to pass up shooting chances to try and walk the ball into the net, a bit of directness in front of goal might not be a bad thing.

Aerial prowess and a basketball-style leap

Another of Sesko's biggest attributes is his prodigious leap.

He was a promising basketball player in his teens and the agility honed on the court can now be seen in the way he challenges for headers and controls high balls on the pitch.

Coupled with his height, it gives him an edge in the opposition box, as seen when he leapt above the outstretched hand of Eintracht Frankfurt's Kevin Trapp to head home a rebound before the goalkeeper could reach it during a 2-1 win in December.

That goal was one of eight Sesko has scored with his head across the last two Bundesliga seasons. It is the fourth-highest total in the competition behind Harry Kane, Serhou Guirassy and Tim Kleindienst, and underlines the extent of his aerial threat.

It is undoubtedly another part of his appeal to Arsenal as they aim to further increase their potency from set-pieces. They have scored more non-penalty set-piece goals than any other Premier League side across the last three seasons, with 54.

Adding the towering figure of Sesko to the mix would give their opponents even more to worry about.

Still raw but with huge potential

Sesko is not yet the finished article having only turned 22 at the end of May. Some elements of his game are still raw. His goals tend to come in bursts rather than consistently.

But his age ensures that, if Arsenal do follow up on their interest and sign him, there is still time for Arteta and his staff to refine his game and mould him into the striker they need.

His potential is huge. He does not boast the same prolific scoring record as Haaland when he made the move from Germany to England. He had scored 86 goals in 89 games for Borussia Dortmund whereas Sesko has scored 39 goals in 87 games for RB Leipzig.

But the parallels in style are clear and they have even followed similar routes, with Sesko effectively brought in as Haaland's replacement at former club Red Bull Salzburg.

It is also worth noting that, at only 22, Sesko has already amassed considerable experience, making more than 250 appearances for club and country, featuring at Champions League level, and reaching double figures for goals in five consecutive campaigns.

He has done all that while avoiding any serious injury setbacks. That durability is another factor in his favour, and another source of encouragement to suitors such as Arsenal.