'Haaland's team-mates told me I'm a better than him - now I could join Arsenal'

Arsenal target Benjamin Sesko was once he was told by team-mates that he was better than Manchester City star Erling Haaland.

The 21-year-old has reportedly been identified by Mikel Arteta as an answer to the Gunners' troubles in front of goal. Yet, should Sesko land in north London, it doesn't look like Arteta will have to contend with any confidence issues from the Red Bull Leipzig forward.

Like Haaland, Sesko stands 6ft4in tall with an eye for goal, and like the Norwegian, he used to ply his trade for Red Bull Salzburg before making the jump to the Bundesliga. Yet, their similarities stretch beyond aesthetics, according to his former colleagues in Austria.

The Slovenian international seemed slightly bashful when his old claim reared its head before Leipzig's Champions League tie with City late last year and he went some way to address the sensational remark. “What should I say?” Sesko said. “I said it once but it looks like I was saying I was way better than him.

“This is comparing me to someone who is one of the best players in the world," he added in an interview with The Telegraph. "So, it’s not easy to compare. I would not like to compare myself to anyone. I would just love to be myself and be the best myself.”

Sesko and Haaland's paths did not cross at Salzburg, yet the Slovenian marksman studiously watched the 24-year-old's game closely when he was a fixture in the club's youth team and eager to learn.

“I went to the games, because I was playing in the youth [side] back then it was interesting to look at him because he’s the same height and some kind of movements are the same," he said. "At this point you think ‘I want to be like him’".

Arteta has held a long-standing interest in Sesko and considered a move for the striker in the summer. Holding off is now seen as somewhat of an error in judgement with Arsenal battling an injury crisis in the forward department with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus on the treatment table.Their title ambitions are currently being spearheaded by the misfiring Kai Havertz, and Arteta has admitted a goal scorer is the priority. "At the moment, we don't have them [a striker]," said Arteta.

"We are trying, as I said, actively to find the best possible solution. We will have to wait and see what we can do. Obviously, that is not something I'm going to discuss here. We have lost two massive players for us in the front line and we need some support there."

Sesko made the switch to Leipzig in 2023 and has since scored 32 goals in 68 games. The Gunners will now see if they can tempt the Germans into a deal.

However, it's reported that Sesko holds a 'gentleman's agreement' with Leipzig. This would allow him to leave in the summer for roughly £60m, a fee considerably cheaper than if Arsenal attempted to clinch his signature this month, with the Germans thought ready to demand more should their prized asset be stripped of them in the middle of the season.