Better than Kane! Premier League interest in Champions League flop Sesko won’t go away

Robin Bairner

Updated: 8 Mar 2024 07:25 GMT
7 min read

Benjamin Sesko, RB Leipzig, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Benjamin Sesko is unlikely to remember RB Leipzig’s Champions League last-16 defeat against Real Madrid fondly.

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The striker missed a succession of opportunities in the first leg, which the Bundesliga side lost 1-0, then struggled to have any impact at the Bernabeu in a 1-1 draw. He did get through on goal once, but his finish lacked conviction and, in any case, he was flagged offside.

For the 20-year-old, the experience is one that is likely to cool media interest in him.

But all the big guns have been taking a look. Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have all been associated with Sesko from the Premier League ahead of the summer.

It would be foolish of these teams to give up on him based on these two performances, though. Sesko remains a young player who has a good deal going for him.

Why Sesko remains hot property

Sesko has been one of the leading strikers in the Bundesliga this season. Based on the SciSports’ algorithm, which takes into account hundreds of in-game data points, the RB Leipzig star has outperformed Harry Kane, who leads the European Golden Boot race he has been so prolific.

Moreover, his game is developing rapidly. His SciSkill value, which is drawn from his in-game statistics, has leapt up 11.7 over the course of the last six months. In turn, his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) grew to a career-high €26.6 million at the start of March.

Sesko vs Bundesliga strikers: 2023/24

SciSports adds using its Career Advice tool that Sesko is suited to three of these clubs in particular.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool get Club Fit scores of 78, 78 and 77 respectively for the Slovenia international star, with this figure built from various factors including potential development, pitch time and playing style. By contrast, Man Utd score just 66.

Perhaps the most attractive option for Sesko as things stand is Chelsea. Should he continue along his current path, he could become a key player for the Blues, SciSports indicate. Victor Osimhen could change all this though.

Sesko is unlikely to hit the ground running at a very top club, but the potential remains there to be unlocked, it might just take a little patience to discover.