Arsenal can supercharge Saka by signing “exceptional” £55m “goalscorer”

The Premier League season finally came to an end on Sunday, and while Arsenal put in another brilliant showing and pushed Manchester City all the way to the end, it’ll be another summer of working out what they need to do to take that next step.

It would be hard to find too many holes in Mikel Arteta’s current side. After all, they produced the best defence and second-best attack in the league this season, but something they do lack is a prolific number nine.

However, based on recent reports, that could be about to change, and Bukayo Saka could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this potential deal.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from the Standard’s Simon Collings, Edu’s ‘key priority’ this summer is a new forward, and one of the main targets is RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško.

Over the last week or so, the Slovenian’s name has been constantly touted for a move to North London, with reports from Germany, via Collings, suggesting his new release clause is around £55m.

Unfortunately for the Gunners, there are two issues.

First, the clause is set to expire at the end of June, and second, many other sides, including Manchester United and Chelsea, are also interested in the striker.

It might be tough to secure a deal for the 20-year-old forward with so many other clubs interested, but if Arsenal can get it done before his £55m price tag increases, it would be excellent business.

How Šeško can supercharge Saka

So, with Šeško having only started one game in his career in a position other than striker – it was left-wing – he would only join Arsenal to play up top. This means his direct competition would be Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, and when it comes to goalscoring, he has them both beaten.

In his 42 games this season, the Radeče-born dynamo scored 18 goals and provided two assists, while the former Manchester City star scored eight goals and provided eight assists in 36 games, and the German found the back of the net 14 times and provided seven assists in 51 games.

However, the “exceptional” prospect, as described by data analyst Ben Mattinson, has his potential competition beat not just in goals and assists; when looking at the trio’s striker-relevant underlying numbers, he once again comes out on top.

For example, the 6 foot 5 marksman produces a higher non-penalty expected goals figure, scores more non-penalty goals, has a higher percentage of his shots on target, takes more shots on target, converts his on-target shots more often and even though he takes fewer overall shots than Jesus, he has a better conversion rate there as well, all per 90.

Overall, it’s hard to deny that the former Salzburg gem is a “real goalscorer”, as Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell put it, which is precisely how he would help supercharge Saka’s assist figures.

In his 35 league appearances this season, the Hale End superstar racked up a seriously impressive haul of 16 goals and nine assists, but he should have had more.

According to Understat’s expected assist figure, he should have had at least two more, or 11.33 to be exact – they have not recorded his assist for Gabriel’s goal against Crystal Palace.

So, had the Englishman had a more accomplished out-and-out striker in the centre as opposed to the midfielder-come-forward in Havertz and the notoriously profligate Jesus, who has underperformed his expected goals by over three, he would have reached a genuine world-class return of 27 goals and assists in the league alone.

Ultimately, while the forwards at Arteta’s disposal this season have been impressive, neither one has shown themselves to be a killer in front of goal in the same way Sesko has.

So, if Arsenal can activate the Slovenian’s release clause before it expires, they may well have the perfect number nine to help their wide players explode next season.