The sliding doors moment that changed Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko’s careers forever

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In a parallel universe, Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko could - and maybe should - be on different sides at the Emirates on Sunday.

Manchester United striker Sesko was so close to joining Arsenal after a long and painstaking transfer pursuit. And maybe, just maybe, United could be getting more out of Gyokeres who has struggled to adapt since his £64m move to Arsenal.

They were two of the most eye-catching deals of the summer when the Premier League went on a huge splurge on strikers. Liverpool broke the bank to sign Alexander Isak for £125m and £79m on Huge Ekitike.

Arsenal finally ended their long pursuit to sign a top class centre forward and put all their money on Gyokeres as they landed the Sweden striker from Sporting Lisbon after he plundered 97 goals in 102 games for the Portuguese giants.

This marked a sharp turn for Arsenal who had previously been chasing Sesko, the young Slovenian striker at RB Leipzig. But the Sesko trail went cold for Arsenal after the arrival of their new sporting director Andrea Berta in March 2025 who almost immediately set his sights on Gyokeres.

There can be no doubt Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta backed Berta’s appointment and has a big say in transfers so they were definitely singing from the same hymn sheet.

The reasoning on Gyokeres over Sesko was that it was all about the here and now. Sesko, still only 22, was young, raw and a work in progress. Gyokeres is 27.

Arsenal wanted an oven ready striker to score goals and get them over the line and winning trophies straight away. It really was that simple.

Arsenal actually came closest to signing Sesko in the summer of 2024. They had strong dialogue with RB Leipzig, Sesko’s agent had been courted and Arsenal were ready to press the button on a deal which would have cost in excess of £45m.

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However, it was Sesko who - despite indicating that he wanted to move to the Emirates above anywhere else - wobbled at this stage because he was wary of moving to Arsenal and then having to share striker duties with the likes of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

He felt he would develop more by staying one more year at RB Leipzig who also used the opportunity to renegotiate his contract and insert a far more formal buy-out clause. Arsenal still maintained regular contact through the 2024/25 season.

Even when Edu left and Jason Ayto - who took up the sporting director role on an interim basis and is now at Brighton - the club made regular visits to Germany, kept in touch with the family and agent and did all the things that a club pursuing a hot target do.

But that changed when Berta came in. The regular trips tailed off and it became obvious that Sesko was no longer the stand-alone candidate. He was still in the mix but Berta was championing Gyokeres.

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However, it is fair to say that when Arsenal moved on Gyokeres, both RB Leipzig and Sesko were left high and dry. The German club were banking on his exit. Suddenly it looked far from certain.

Sporting were not happy with Arsenal (who, in fairness, were just trying to do what every club does by driving a hard bargain) and it soon became clear the Portuguese club were pushing Gyokeres towards Manchester United.

Gyokeres had played under former United boss Ruben Amorim at Sporting but the Swede made it clear he was not interested. At that stage, maybe he was more suited to United’s playing style than Arsenal because he is more focal point than pressing machine.

Meanwhile, Sesko rejected Newcastle and it has been reported that, despite the Slovenian then setting his sights on Old Trafford, Amorim was not entirely convinced and wanted a more experienced striker. Gyokeres might have been a better fit.

United ended up paying £74m for potential in Sesko with Arsenal paying £64m for Gyokeres.

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The United fan base are split on Sesko. Scouts still maintain that because of his age, athleticism and pace, he will come good and be a prolific centre forward. But, tellingly, Sesko was only on the bench for Michael Carrick’s first game in charge of United and they beat Manchester City 2-0.

Arsenal fans have been supportive of Gyokeres. But, despite his super strike against Inter Milan in the Champions League , he has really struggled. He does not look on the same technical level as his teammates, he has not scored enough and looks sluggish.

Back in August, Sesko and Gyokeres did not even share minutes on the pitch when Arsenal beat United 1-0. Sesko was a 65th minute substitute and Gyokeres was hooked after an hour.

You suspect both will have a point to prove if they do go head-to-head on Sunday when Arsenal and United will also be determined to show they ended up with the right striker.