There’s a fair few people on the internets and social medias today who are a little sad about the whole Benjamin Sesko stuff. I feel like there’s been a little bit of ‘reading between the lines’ from a few journo’s though and, without wanting to come across as a completely smug d*ck, I kind of suggested how this would play out on Saturday when I wrote my morning musings then.

I’ve also seen a couple of people suggest that Arsenal weren’t completely unhappy about some of the fact the noises were being made quite public about their interest; the suggestion has been that they were already looking elsewhere at their options and so if this occupies the thoughts and minds of the media and fans, then it would allow them to go about their business in quiet and relative peace.

That does feel like it’s quite ‘on brand’ with the football admin team in the last couple of season’s to be fair. The Havertz rumours emerged and then within a few days he was signed. The Raya one came towards the end of the window and surprised a lot of people, mainly because we had Ramsdale and so people were a little confused as to why we would do that. The Fabio Vieira deal was almost completely random and happened in what almost felt like an overnight stealth move by the club, then the season before that we also had Tomiyasu arriving late in the window. Arsenal, Arteta and Edu (as well as the group of people at Arsenal who all work on transfers in the dead of night and behind closed doors) have been getting pretty good at transfer espionage, it has to be said.

So with the news that Sesko signing a new deal now out in the open, the beady eyes of the media and Arsenal fans will become a little more laser focused and I wonder in which direction they’ll pivot next? Will they keep the centre forward powder dry and look at a more versatile forward player? Perhaps. One things for sure, somebody will have to be moved on, because we’re top heavy in terms of talent right now. Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli, Saka, Havertz and Trossard all get regular game time fighting for three positions, whilst Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson have found game time hard to come by. Between those two players they shared around 1,300 minutes, which averages at around 15 games between them (I divided those minutes by 90 for ease of calculation). The actual number of starts was 10 for Eddie and one for Reiss, so if we’re looking at bringing in a higher calibre of player, if they’re taking Eddie and Reiss’ minutes then they’re still only making 11 starts and probably a dozen or so sub appearances, max.

So the sell to any incoming player is going to be tough, unless **conspiracy theory alert** one of those more regular players is moved on. Perhaps that will happen with a Gabriel Jesus, but I can’t see Arteta wanting to shift on Trossard, Havertz or Martinelli, so maybe that’s why there has been some mutterings of Arsenal being open to Gabriel Jesus leaving if the right offer came in. The right offer has to be a sizeable chunk of change though; if we move Nelson, Nketiah and Gabby J on in a summer that suddenly feels like we’re short.

That’s why I think Arsenal’s move for an attacking player will, I think, almost certainly be one that is versatile and can play across the front three. A player in their early 20s who can be a bit like Gabriel Jesus when he was 22, perhaps? I mean, I’d love somebody like Rodrygo from Real Madrid and there has been some noises about a few English clubs like Liverpool interested, but to prize him from the Spanish champions would probably cost north of £100million and I just don’t see that happening.

Apparently Chelsea are interested in Alvarez from City but I can’t see City giving us somebody like that in a million years.

Matheus Cunha from Wolves is a couple of year’s younger than Gabriel Jesus and can play across the front three, but given they signed him a year ago for around £45million, I can’t see us getting him for less than £80million and given he’s had a couple of injuries, I suspect that’s one that we should park.

So who is a young, versatile, up and coming player who we could potentially look to invest in, who would accept taking those Eddie and Reiss minutes? Maybe there’s one right on our own doorstep? Ethan Nwaneri is listed as a ‘next gen wonderkid’ by Goal on their website here and although I’ve poo-poo’d it on the Same Old Arsenal pod already this summer (mainly because of his age and how that’s a lot of pressure for somebody so young, rather than his actual ability – it’s clear he’s hugely talented), the more I look at those Eddie and Reiss minutes, the more I do wonder if Arteta might be tempted to chuck them his way in 2024/25. It’s a tough one though, because with Gabriel Jesus not always fit, with Martinelli having a few injury problems this season just gone, if your immediate ‘go to’ is somebody like Nwaneri at right wing, or at centre forward (he’s played their for the U23s a few times I think, although I’ll admit I don’t really watch it, I’m just going on what I heard), feels like a stretch.

So I do think Arsenal will dabble in the market for a forward player, but they have to get this one right, because you don’t want to stunt Nwaneri’s growth if he is going to evolve in to the next Saka off the production line. Striking that balance between giving space to young talent and making sure you have enough to compete with the monster that is 115 Charges FC is a really tough one and I don’t envy the club’s position when trying to find those marginal gains that could get us that extra two or three points that get us over the line.

But, as the common saying goes, “that’s why they pay you the big bucks”. That’s the task that is in front of Arteta and Edu and that’s why I’m pleased that they may be taking their time over what move is the right move.

Ok, I’m done for today I think. Back tomorrow as always. Also going to do our ‘one in, one out, one to ‘bang’ tomorrow evening too, so will give you more details of that on tomorrow’s blog.

Catch you all then.