Earlier than Manchester United accomplished the signing of Benjamin Sesko in a £73.7 million deal final month, they had been closely linked with Ollie Watkins.
On the time the membership had been mulling over which striker so as to add to Ruben Amorim’s ranks for 2025/2026, it was claimed their shortlist had been narrowed down to 2 choices: Sesko and Watkins.
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United debated Ollie Watkins coup earlier than signing Benjamin Sesko
(Picture by Richard Heathcote/Getty Photographs)
While each highly-regarded centre-forwards, the 2 gamers posed as totally totally different targets given their ages and expertise.
Sesko, 22, had solely ever plyed his commerce in his native Slovenia, Austria and Germany, while 29-year-old earlier than settling at Aston Villa when transferring from Brentford in 2020.
Contributions-wise, Watkins has recorded 87 targets and 42 assists in 226 appearances for the Midlands outfit, whereas Sesko scored 39 occasions and contributed an extra eight assists in 87 matches representing RB Leipzig.
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Pursuing the teen was undoubtedly extra of a threat than going all-out for a Premier League-proven star – and one which Amorim wasn’t keen to take.
Stories on the time steered , however Director of Recruitment Christopher Vivell spearheaded the membership’s transfer for the latter as a consequence of his earlier Pink Bull hyperlinks; Vivell performed a key position in bringing Sekso to RB Salzburg again in 2019 and once more when he signed for Leipzig three years later.
INEOS honoured Vivell’s needs and met Leipzig’s calls for earlier than tying the participant right down to a five-year deal.
Nicky Butt: I’d have gone for Ollie Watkins at United
Nevertheless, former Pink Nicky Butt has since questioned whether or not it was certainly the right route for United to take when contemplating their goalscoring woes.
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“Actually, for what it will have value, I’d have gone and introduced in somebody like Ollie Watkins [instead of Sesko]. Somebody to assist and pull the younger strikers out of a foul patch,” Butt instructed BetMGM, as cited by the .
“When younger gamers are simply coming into the membership, when the onus is on them to attain targets, in the event that they’re having a couple of unhealthy video games they must have the security internet of being pulled out of the firing line.
“Ollie Watkins, or somebody like that, could be who I’d have been wanting to usher in.”
Extra Tales / Newest Information
Treble winner needs Amorim received his manner in signing Premier League frontman as an alternative of Sesko – INEOS blocked the transfer
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