As Manchester United pursue a new striker in the off-season, their options are diminishing. Liam Delap left Ipswich for Chelsea, while Viktor Gyokeres opted against a reunion with Ruben Amorim, moving to Arsenal as the Gunners look to assemble a squad capable of mounting a lasting title challenge.
United have already been active in the market this summer. Matheus Cunha joined from Wolves, while the Bryan Mbeumo saga finally came to a head last month as the Cameroon international swapped Brentford for Manchester. Even so, United can ill-afford to head into the new season with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee their only strikers. The duo scored just seven league goals between them in the Premier League last season. It’s for that reason that United have reportedly lodged a bid for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, with their package worth a reported €85m as they look to bolster the frontline.
To further justify the big money approach for Sesko, Hojlund mustered just 13 shots on target, and Zirkzee 11. For context, centre-back Matthijs de Ligt managed to trouble the opposition goalkeeper 10 times. United were one of five teams who didn’t have a single player reach double figures for goals in England’s top tier last term, while only relegated Southampton (7.3%) had a worse conversion rate than Amorim’s side (8%).
Benjamin Sesko is destined to leave RB Leipzig this summer. Image: Getty
United need a consistent forward
Only Crystal Palace (18.72) managed a higher xG underperformance than United (14.66) in the Premier League last season. You get the picture – they need a consistent finisher. With Bruno Fernandes providing the ammunition – the United skipper made more key passes (91) than any other player in England’s top tier last term – consistency on the frontline is key, especially as a number of the division’s heavyweights have strengthened in attack.
The issue for United is that, despite their standing on the global stage, they are struggling to lure the required frontman to Old Trafford. They failed in pursuits for Delap and Gyokeres, and won’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of convincing Alexander Isak to swap St. James’ Park for Old Trafford. What’s more, Newcastle are seemingly preparing for a potential Isak departure by rivalling United for top target Sesko.
Sesko, who was linked with a move to Arsenal last summer, is expected to leave RB Leipzig before the transfer window closes next month. United had turned their attention to the Slovenia international yet are now behind Newcastle in the race for Sesko, with the Magpies on Monday upping their offer for the 22-year-old according to the Athletic.
Even so, is missing out on Sesko such a bad thing for United? The RB Leipzig forward, who scored 13 times in the Bundesliga last season, may have a high ceiling, yet is still incredibly raw. A lack of consistency hasn’t aided Sesko, with five of the youngster’s goals coming in a five-game spell across the festive period having struck just three times – and twice against Augsburg – in his opening 12 league appearances of the campaign. Indeed, he so often goes through purple patches, which would be ironed in time but United need a readymade striker to ease their goal woes rather than hedging their bets that Sesko would come good.
This doesn’t necessarily eradicate the options on the table but does limit who United can target, especially as they seem to be targeting Premier League experience if the signings of Cunha and Mbeumo are anything to go by. The emergence of Nicolas Jackson as a viable target, then, is a potentially tempting one. The Senegal international may find playing time hard to come by this season following the Blues’ additions of Delap and Joao Pedro, and while he does have his critics, Jackson has two years’ worth of experience in England’s top tier, which arguably stands him in higher stead than Sesko.
Premier League experience key?
While Chelsea aren’t scrambling to sell Jackson, if they receive a suitable offer then they’ll likely cash in on the 24-year-old, even if that does leave the Blues a little short on the frontline ahead of their Champions League return. United won’t be the only team in for Jackson yet he’d be a guaranteed starter under Amorim. The ill-discipline combined with his profligacy does raise question marks, however, and while he’d be a cheaper option than Sesko, there is another frontman that United could potentially tempt to Old Trafford.
Aston Villa’s failure to make the Champions League means big-money sales are expected at Villa Park. Boubacar Kamara won’t be one of those departing for pastures new having penned a new deal with the Villans, yet goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is a sellable asset, while England pair Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins would command hefty fees.
And it’s Watkins who United should be looking to sign as they seek attacking reinforcements. Villa’s need to raise funds to remain within PSR guidelines further heightens the possibility of United luring Watkins away from Birmingham. The 29-year-old has previously been linked with a move away from Villa and while he’ll turn 30 in December; he’s more or less the forward Amorim requires to lead the charge.
Sesko vs Watkins vs Jackson comparison / Squawka
Forget Sesko and Jackson, Watkins is the man
Watkins struck 16 times in the Premier League last season and laid on an additional eight assists. The selflessness to his game would suit Cunha and Mbeumo, the pair likely to support the frontman in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 setup, while the desire to pull to the flanks opens up space for the duo to exploit. It could prove a scalpel-sharp triumvirate that’ll fire United back to towards the top four.
United also have players on the books that would sweeten any deal with Villa. Marcus Rashford may have departed for Barcelona, the forward enjoying a profitable loan stint in Birmingham last season, and one cut short due to injury, while Alejandro Garnacho is another reportedly wanted by Unai Emery. Chelsea are also in for the Argentine, so United would need to work hard to convince the winger that a move to Villa is more beneficial, but the potential is there for United to strike a deal that would suit every need.
As United maintain their push for a new striker, they would be wise to allow Newcastle a free run at Sesko – they’ve already tried the untested youngster approach in their bid for a forward – and overlook Jackson to focus their attention on Watkins.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Topics: Football, Manchester United, Ollie Watkins, Premier League, Transfer News
Manchester United’s primary transfer targets Benjamin Sesko and Ollie Watkins’ respective stats for the 2024/25 season have emerged as Ruben Amorim weighs up who he should sign to bolster his frontline.
United have already been busy this summer, bringing in Matheus Cunha from Wolves and Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford.
But they are still to keen to add a centre forward as Ruben Amorim looks to fix the side’s attacking struggles.
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee remain at the club but both struggled last season, scoring just seven league goals between them.
It has pushed United into the market, with RB Leipzig’s Sesko and Aston Villa’s Watkins emerging as the main targets.
But they are different styles of striker at contrasting stages of their career.
Sesko is just 22 and one of Europe’s tallest forwards at 6 foot 5 inches, and he likes to use his strength to hold off defenders and link play.
Ollie Watkins is one of two strikers United are considering. (Image: Matt McNulty / Stringer via Getty)
By contrast, Watkins is 29 and likes to run in behind defences, drifting into channels with clever movement.
He’s also an experienced Premier League striker, who has hit double-digit hauls in the league for the last five years.
Premier League experience has been a consistent feature of United’s recruitment this summer as they aim to improve on last year’s 15th-placed finish.
How do Benjamin Sesko and Ollie Watkins compare?
Although they are different profiles of striker, both would be expected to add goals to United’s misfiring frontline.
Since the start of 2023-24, Sesko has scored 0.62 goals per 90 in the league, compared to Watkins’ 0.54.
Although the Premier League is widely considered a more difficult division to score goals than the Bundesliga.
Sesko is one of the best emerging young forwards in football. (Image: Maja Hitij / Staff via Getty)
Watkins also tends to get into better scoring positions with an expected goals per 90 of 0.5, compared to Sesko’s 0.4.
The Slovenian is still young and is likely to develop his penalty box movement as he gets older.
Watkins is also the better chance creator, averaging 1.08 chances per 90, compared to Sesko’s 0.71.
Evidently Watkins is the better player at the moment but he is in the prime of his career, while Sesko is still developing.
Who is a better fit for Manchester United?
It depends on whether United want to take a risk.
Watkins arrives as the Premier League-proven option, which is a strategy that Jim Ratcliffe and Jason Wilcox have preferred this summer with the purchases of Cunha and Mbeumo testament to that.
But, at 22, Sesko offers more upside than the 29-year-old Watkins, who lost his Aston Villa starting spot to Marcus Rashford last year.
Given Hojlund and Zirkzee’s respective struggles in a United shirt, going for the Premier League-proven option in Watkins could make sense.
Although Aston Villa will not want to lose their frontman and it may cost up to £60 million to prise him out of Villa Park.
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