Latest news with #BenjaminŠeško
New York Times
02-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Are Arsenal a good bet to win the Premier League? Why transfer target Benjamin Šeško is not the answer
For more stories like this, click here to follow The Athletic's sports betting section and have them added to your feed. Paris Saint-Germain's dominant 5-0 Champions League victory over Inter Milan marked the end of the football season. With the action behind us, the focus will now shift to the transfer market. Every side that has come up short will be looking for that missing piece to take them a step closer to silverware. One of those clubs is Arsenal, whose disappointing 2024-25 campaign left them empty-handed once again. Advertisement The conversations have centred around the Gunners need for an out-and-out forward to lead the line. RB Leipzig talisman Benjamin Šeško is the betting favourite to plug that gap for Mikel Arteta. With 4/11 odds to move to North London, the 22-year-old is on the verge of being anointed the striker to silence the chatter and take the club to the next level. It's not a done deal yet as other clubs like Chelsea (5/1) and Liverpool (15/2) are still in the mix, but the Gunners are certainly in pole position. Before believing the Slovenian to be a reason to take advantage of Arsenal's 5/2 title odds for next season, it's important to ask a crucial question — and it's not if Šeško is the right player for the Gunners. It's whether Arsenal's problem is really the lack of an elite No 9. The short answer is no. Yet, when looking at ways for Arsenal to improve, the maths is fairly straightforward. Only four clubs in Europe's big five leagues — Napoli, Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid and Juventus — allowed lower non-penalty expected goal (xG) marks than the Gunners this season. On the attacking side of things, 18 clubs created better chances per game than the North Londoners in 2024-25. If you can only improve upon a handful of clubs by fortifying the defence but can surpass nearly two dozen clubs by bolstering the attack, it seems obvious where Arteta should direct the club's resources. Unfortunately for the Spanish manager, football is a complex sport. The approach of 'need goals, sign striker' doesn't really solve the problems that held back Arsenal's attack this past season. One of the core issues starts with the manager himself. The Gunners were one of the most aggressive pressing teams in all of Europe this past season. In England, their passes per defensive action were tied second behind only Bournemouth. Arsenal's unrelenting pressure also yielded the third-highest turnovers in the league, following the Cherries and Manchester City. Those numbers are a sign of a team that is excellent at causing havoc for opponents during build-up play. Advertisement The problem for the Gunners is that after they win the ball back, they just, uh, keep it, favouring controlled possession over transitions. Whereas Bournemouth led the league in percentage of high turnovers that led to a shot attempt, Arsenal ranked only 14th, defeating one of the key advantages of a press. It's common knowledge that when an opposition turns the ball over in their build-up, that is the perfect time to spring a counterattack. Arteta apparently disagrees. That philosophy isn't inherently bad if your players are capable of battering down a low-block. The problem for Arsenal, however, wasn't the lack of an Erling Haaland-level striker as much as their preferred attackers either battling injury or plateauing their progress. Bukayo Saka is one of the best chance-creators in the world, leading the side with 21 chances created — five ahead of the next closest teammate, Declan Rice. The problem there? Saka started just 20 league games this season due to injury. The same issues befell Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz. Ødegaard started just 26 games while Havertz began just 21. Ødegaard's passing skill is without question. Havertz may not be the classic striker people are used to, but the 25-year-old does virtually everything at an above average level. Havertz works as a striker when other elite shot-creators surround him; Ødegaard and Saka certainly qualify as such when healthy. The problem is the other side of the pitch was anchored by Gabriel Martinelli. The 23-year-old Brazilian looked like a future superstar when he first broke into the Arsenal side three years ago. During his 2021-22 season, Martinelli averaged 0.32 non-penalty xG per 90 — a fantastic mark for a then-teenager cutting his teeth in one of the best leagues in the world. The problem for both the Gunners and the Brazilian winger is that mark remains his career high. Martinelli simply has not gotten better ever since that debut season. Advertisement Regarding the context of Arsenal's core players, it's hard to see where the Slovenian provides an immediate upgrade. Šeško averaged just 0.35 non-penalty xG per 90 for Leipzig this season — well below Havertz's mark of 0.46 and barely ahead of Martinelli. The other slightly concerning aspect of that number is that Bundesliga tends to inflate production, especially for attackers. The goal-scoring numbers would be fine if Šeško was a more rounded player. But he doesn't pass well (33rd percentile for strikers in completion percentage), fails to set up his teammates (18th percentile in expected assists) and does a drab job of tormenting defenders with his dribbling (0.52 carries into the penalty area last season, a full two per 90 below even Martinelli). He's essentially a worse version of every attacker Arsenal already have employed. That makes it hard to see how his signing will be the signal to those of us weighing next year's title odds that it's Arsenal's time. If Šeško ultimately joins the Gunners, his addition wouldn't necessarily make the Gunners' 5/2 title odds look better than Liverpool's (15/8) or Manchester City's (9/4). What's really happening is that Arsenal are trying to solve a complex problem with a simple solution. As we're finding out with other clubs, some players who score lots of goals may not necessarily make their clubs better. Yet the Gunners' need for goals is bringing them to Šeško's doorstep. The bad news for Arsenal is that Šeško might not bring them any closer to a trophy. Betting/odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Benjamin Šeško: Maja Hitij / Getty Images)
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal make first contact regarding RB Leipzig marksman Šeško
Arsenal are now in concrete talks with RB Leipzig regarding Benjamin Šeško, if Sky Germany's reports are anything to go by. Leipzig's managing director Marcel Schäfer and Arsenal boss Andrea Berta are in contact over a deal for the Slovenian marksman. Advertisement While Arsenal are also monitoring other strikers such as Viktor Gyökeres, their interest in Šeško is reportedly very keen. The north London club's head coach Mikel Arteta is also a big admirer of the 21-year-old forward. As things stand, Šeško has a release clause this summer rumoured to be around €80 million.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Benjamin Šeško: 'Anything can happen'
In an interview with Sky on Friday, RB Leipzig's sought-after striker Benjamin Šeško doesn't rule out a summer departure from the club. The Slovenian striker scored 21 goals in all competitions this season. "I'm now focusing on the final games until the end of the season, and then we'll see what happens. Anything can happen,' Šeško said before Leipzig's direct duel in Bremen. 'But, for now, I'm 100 percent focused on Leipzig, especially on these last two games." Leipzig are currently two points behind SC Freiburg, who hold the last Champions League qualification spot before the final two matchdays of the season.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
🤯 Quick-fire Bayern double provides title twist against Leipzig
And just like that, Bayern Munich are back in with a real shout to seal a Bundesliga title win away from home against RB Kompany's men looked like a shadow of themselves in the opening 45 minutes at Red Bull Arena after a wonder strike from Benjamin Šeško and Lukas Klostermann saw them two-nil down at the break. But the Bavarian giants have roared back to life after the interval, bagging two goals in just one minute of open play with converted efforts from Eric Dier and Michael Olise between the 62nd and 63rd minutes. Needing a win to lift the Meisterschalle regardless of whatever result Bayer Leverkusen manages to muster, this is a determined performance befitting a champion. Leipzig were beating Bayern 2-0 after 60 minutes...62'—Leipzig 2-1 Bayern 63'—Leipzig 2-2 Bayern 🫢 — B/R Football (@brfootball) May 3, 2025 And with 20 minutes remaining in Saxony and Bayern on the front foot, you would not bet against the house for them to find a third to put the league beyond doubt. 📸 Maja Hitij - 2025 Getty Images
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Šeško fires Leipzig into German Cup semifinals with 1-0 win over Wolfsburg
LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) — Benjamin Šeško's penalty was enough for Leipzig to book the last semifinal spot in the German Cup with a 1-0 win over Wolfsburg in their quarterfinal on Wednesday. Leipzig, which won the competition in 2023, joined third-tier Arminia Bielefeld, Stuttgart and defending champion Bayer Leverkusen in the last four. Šeško scored in the 69th minute after Wolfsburg's Kilian Fischer was penalized for hand ball when Šeško's close-range shot hit his arm. There was no correction from the video referee. It was the first goal Wolfsburg had conceded in the competition after wins over Koblenz (1-0), Borussia Dortmund (1-0) and Hoffenheim (3-0). Mohammed Amoura had gone closest for Wolfsburg when he struck the crossbar after the break. The semifinals are scheduled to be played April 1 and 2, with the draw for the pairings to be made on Sunday. ___ AP soccer: The Associated Press
