‘Unique’: Director celebrates after beating Newcastle United in race to sign ‘special’ striker

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Newcastle United wanted Benjamin Sesko but have now officially missed out with the striker choosing to sign for RB Leipzig.

This is a familiar feeling for Newcastle this summer; missing out on an attacking transfer target.

Hugo Ekitike went to Paris Saint-Germain and links to Sekou Mara didn’t go anywhere as he joined Southampton instead.

Newcastle of course have other targets in mind but have missed out on another attacker this week.

Newcastle United wanted Benjamin Sesko

The Magpies turned their attention to Red Bull Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko after missing out on Ekitike.

When Sesko’s agent Elvir Basanovic posted a photo from Newcastle in July, Magpies fans were buzzing at the prospect of a deal.

The problem for Newcastle is that there was major competition for Sesko’s signature and Salzburg weren’t all that keen on selling.

Reports from The Northern Echo suggested on Sunday that Newcastle would be making a £25million bid to sign Sesko this week.

Whatever Newcastle proposed, it wasn’t enough to get a deal done.

RB Leipzig confirmed the signing of Sesko on Tuesday, but he will only make the move to Germany in 2023.

That at least gives Salzburg another year with Sesko in their attack before he leaves for Leipzig, which is ultimately what they wanted.

We also have to note the relationship between Salzburg and Leipzig here.

Both clubs fall under the Red Bull umbrella and we have seen many deals between the two clubs over the years.

The likes of Naby Keita, Dayot Upamecano, Konrad Laimer, Amadou Haidara, Peter Gulacsi and Dominik Szoboszlai have all made that move.

Even former Salzburg stars Xaver Schlager and Kevin Kampl are now Leipzig players.

It’s no great surprise that Leipzig have managed to win this race but that isn’t dampening their celebrations.

Technical director Christopher Vivell has been quoted by Sky Sports as saying that he thinks Sesko has the potential to be come one of the best strikers in Europe.

Vivell added that Sesko is ‘unique and special’, believing that he will be ready to hit the goal trail for Leipzig in 2023 as Newcastle have to look on and wonder what could have been.

“Benjamin Sesko is one of Europe’s best young talents and has a great amount of potential to become one of the best,” said Vivell. “He offers a lot in his game, he’s extremely fast, has a great jumping reach and is strong in the air. Benjamin has a true eye for goal and, despite his height, is technically gifted and mobile. His qualities make him a unique and special player.”

“I’ve known Benjamin since he was 15 and was able to convince him to come to Salzburg in 2019. Since then, I’ve followed his development closely and have seen every goal that he’s scored. The best option is for Benjamin to continue in Salzburg for one more year and mature before coming to Leipzig. We’re already looking forward to that a lot,” he added.