Arsenal really fancied their chances when they went up against Chelsea for one player.
It is still early days in the summer, but both Arsenal and Chelsea are already trying to strengthen their squads.
In fact, the Blues already have following the signing of Tosin Adarabioyo from Fulham.
The central defender arrived at Chelsea on a free transfer last week.
Their squad could have got even stronger as well had they signed Benjamin Sesko, who could now remain at RB Leipzig until 2026 after signing a new contract.
Arsenal and Chelsea wanted the same player
Arsenal and Chelsea both want to improve their forward lines this summer it seems.
Neither club, though, will be signing Sesko after his decision to stay in Germany.
However, according to GiveMeSport, Arsenal made a proposal that they thought Sesko would have accepted over anything either Chelsea or Manchester United offered.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, he decided to remain at Leipzig in the end.
As for Chelsea, they have quickly turned their attention to Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed that they are currently working on a deal to sign the striker.
Why were Arsenal confident of beating Chelsea to Benjamin Sesko’s signature?
They have more to offer. Maybe Chelsea could have handed Sesko a bigger and longer contract, but that is it.
Arsenal have Champions League football and showed once again last season that they are capable of competing for the Premier League title.
Chelsea, in contrast, are going to be playing in the Europa Conference League and could not even get into the top four.
Arsenal are also a much more stable side. Mikel Arteta has been at the club since 2019. Chelsea are on their fourth permanent manager since 2022.
For a young player like Sesko, who has been described as “special” by former Chelsea technical director Christopher Vivell, a move to Arsenal would have made a lot of sense.