If Arsenal were to go out and sign Šeško, it would be unlikely that the Slovenian would come in and replace Jesus, as the Brazilian has proven his worth to Arteta as more than simply a goalscorer.
Nketiah, on the other hand, has not, and with FBref considering him the second most similar player in Europe's top five leagues to the 20-year-old, he'd likely lose out.
However, how do the pair actually compare under the hood? Does the "prolific" Leipzig man, as described by Jacek Kulig, produce numbers impressive enough to oust the Gunners' number 14?Well, in short, yes, yes, he does.
The 6 foot 4 "machine", as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, outperforms the Arsenal man in almost every metric, including non-penalty expected goals and assists, progressive carries, shot-creating actions and many others.
Benjamin Šeško vs Eddie Nketiah
Stats (per 90)
Šeško
Nketiah
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.52
0.45
Progressive Carries
1.79
1.72
Progressive Passes
0.77
1.40
Shots on Target
1.79
0.86
Shot-Creating Actions
3.06
2.68
Successful Take-Ons
2.05
0.86
Aerial Duels Won
2.82
1.61
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season
Moreover, he is strides ahead of Nketiah when it comes to successful take-ons, aerial duels, and shots on target, pointing to a player who could potentially be the complete package were he given a chance at a club like Arsenal.
Ultimately, Nketiah isn't a bad player; in fact, he's clearly very talented, but so far, he hasn't quite been a difference-maker for Arsenal, whereas a player like Šeško could be.
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