David Ornstein claims the "door opened" for Arsenal to make striker signing in January transfer window
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Arsenal come out of the transfer window in the same position as they started it, as they didn’t make any signings or sales last month.
The Gunners remain second in the Premier League table, six points behind league leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand. They won 5-1 against Manchester City in their last game, which was a dominant performance from Mikel Arteta’s side.
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Hide AdHowever, despite the impressive result, many fans have been left frustrated by the fact that they didn’t sign a striker in January. They reportedly saw a bid rejected by Aston Villa for Ollie Watkins, and decided against signing Bayern striker Mathys Tel, who joined Tottenham.
“Door opened” for Arsenal to sign Watkins
The Gunners tried to sign Villa man Watkins, who has made 24 Premier League appearances for Unai Emery’s side this season, scoring 10 goals and contributing five assists.
However, they reportedly saw a bid rejected, although according to Journalist David Ornstein, the door was very much open for the Gunners to sign the England international.
He said on the Athletic’s podcast: “Villa gave Arsenal the opportunity to do this deal or have a conversation on the basis of a £60 million possibility.
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Hide Ad“That was something clearly Arsenal were not prepared to do at that value for a 29-year-old, who in their eyes is probably not worth that much. They decided to suggest around the £40m mark. Villa were being serious when they suggested £60 million because that’s where they value him.
“We don’t know if it would have led to an offer being accepted, but the door was clearly opened at that level and Arsenal weren’t prepared to go there.”
Arsenal to turn their attention to Benjamin Sesko in the summer
The Gunners had also been linked with signing RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, who they held an interest in during the summer transfer window.
Sesko, 21, has scored 14 goals for the Bundesliga side this season, contributing three assists too. Reports suggest that Arsenal would have to pay around £70m in order to sign him, something that they could do in the summer. He fits the profile of a target man striker, something that the Gunners have been trying to add for several transfer windows. However, according to reports during the January window, Chelsea held talks with Sesko, meaning that Arsenal could face competition to sign him in the summer.
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Hide AdHowever, in a boost for the Gunners, the Slovenia international would reportedly prefer to join at the Emirates, rather than Premier League rivals such as Chelsea and Manchester United. Sesko has been at RB Leipzig since July 2023, when they signed him from Austrian side RB Salzburg for £20m. He has since scored 32 goals in 69 appearances for the Bundesliga side.
Arsenal will have to undergo the remainder of this season without a new striker, however, we could see Sesko in the red of the Gunners come the start of the Premier League next year.
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