I played for both Arsenal and Chelsea – here’s who Benjamin Sesko should join

Benjamin Sesko should reject Chelsea and join Arsenal, according to Emmanuel Petit.

The two clubs are eager to sign a No. 9 this summer, and given reports of a £55million release clause in Sesko’s contract, it’s little surprise to see the Slovenian striker heavily linked with a move to London. It’s understood both the Blues and the Gunners have been working to reel Sesko in for weeks, with the RB Leipzig man reportedly open to a move to either side.

But Petit, who played for both Arsenal and Chelsea, reckons Sesko would be a fool to say no to the Gunners. “He should definitely pick Arsenal [over Chelsea],” the 53-year-old said speaking exclusively to Football London, via Best Online Poker Sites.

“Why? Because of the way they’ve been playing and the spine of the team have been playing together for at least four or five years. They have improved so much individually and collectively.

“They have a proper philosophy of playing. And the environment as well. I think it’s much better at Arsenal than at Chelsea, even though that did improve slightly at Chelsea over the last few months.

“But while it’s a new era at Chelsea, the stability is with the Gunners. So there is more green light, if I was Sesko, to go to Arsenal instead of going to Chelsea.”

Sesko, 21, joined Leipzig last summer following two successful seasons at their sister club, Red Bull Salzburg. After making a slow start to the campaign, he scored 11 goals in 16 Bundesliga games, including seven in seven to finish the season with a bang.

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The highly-rated youngster, who stands at 6ft 5ins tall, has been compared to the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Erling Haaland, with his pace, power and versatile skill set the envy of many top-level centre forwards. He started out in his native Slovenia before sealing a move to Salzburg in 2019.

He was then loaned out to Austrian second-tier side FC Liefering, where he bagged 22 goals in 44 games. He returned to Salzburg in 2021 and went on to score a further 29 goals before joining Leipzig in 2023.

Arsenal are desperate to add a goalscorer to their midst after coming up short in the Premier League title race for the second successive season, with Mikel Arteta unconvinced by Gabrial Jesus’ long-term suitability to the centre forward role, having used Kai Havertz up top for much of the season. They’ve also been linked with moves for the likes of Brentford striker Ivan Toney and Newcastle ace Alexander Isak, among others.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have been hunting for a reliable goal-getter ever since Romelu Lukaku’s £98million move blew up in their face. They added Nicholas Jackson last summer, and while the Senegal forward scored a respectable 17 goals in all competitions, the Blues want an out-and-out No. 9 to replace him at the top of the pitch.

Petit spent six years in English football. He joined Arsenal from Monaco in 1997 and helped the Gunners seal a league and cup double in his first season at Highbury. The midfielder quickly established a formidable partnership with Patrick Vieira, but it was broken up when Petit left for Barcelona in 2000.

After a year in Spain, he returned to the Premier League, with Chelsea beating the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham to his signature. But his stint at Stamford Bridge was disappointing, with poor form and injury problems plaguing his tenure.

The 1998 World Cup winner, who earned 63 caps for France, retired a year after leaving Chelsea in 2004. He later admitted regretting joining the Blues, revealing that his wife had convinced him to snub United in favour of a move back to London.