Man Utd should sign £40m striker wanted by Aston Villa and Newcastle in January amid Sesko uncertainty - opinion
Man United signed Benjamin Sesko for a fee of £74m from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in the summer.
The striker position at Old Trafford was a big talking point over summer, as Rasmus Hojlund’s performances last year forced Manchester United to go out and find a replacement. Hojlund left to join Napoli, and the Red Devils signed Benjamin Sesko to fill the void up front.
However, it has been a slow start to Sesko’s life at United, with many wondering if he was the right signing due to his lack of Premier League experience. One of the bigger worries was that he took the 10th penalty in United’s shootout defeat against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup after several defenders and midfielders took ahead of him.
There is no doubt that Sesko will improve upon his start at United, based on his talent and physical presence, however, if he isn’t able to become that reliable number nine, then Ruben Amorim may look elsewhere in January.
Man Utd should sign Mateta in January
This summer, Sesko was one of United’s major signings that didn’t fit the mould of proven Premier League players, which was their initial plan. They did sign both Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who fit the profile better, and perhaps they could consider a striker in a similar ilk.
If Sesko struggles continue, United should try and sign Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who was previously linked with a move to Old Trafford. According to Caught Offside, Mateta is being monitored by Newcastle United and Aston Villa ahead of the January window.
If United were to swoop in and sign Mateta ahead of the other two, he would provide Amorim with an experienced striker who has proven that he can score goals in the Premier League. He already got off the mark this season, by scoring against Aston Villa in a 3-0 win before the international break.
How much would Mateta cost?
The French striker is less of a long-term option due to his age of 28; however, he would make an instant impact, and isn’t expected to be too expensive despite his production and the demand surrounding him.
Crystal Palace are reportedly demanding a £40m fee on Mateta, so United could likely negotiate a deal slightly lower if they can convince the player himself to leave in January. The only issue is that Palace do have European football, and Villa and Newcastle can both offer European football too.
However, as we saw with Sesko choosing United over Newcastle, the draw of playing for Manchester United, and calling Old Trafford home, still very much exists. So, Mateta could maybe be tempted to drop European football to come and play in Red under Amorim.
For United, they would be getting a player who has scored 39 goals in the Premier League, and who has a natural instinct for being in the right place at the right time, easily a 20-goal striker if he is in the right environment. At the age of 28, he would also not get in the way of Sesko’s long-term development and help Amorim in the here and now. It’s a no-brainer.