How strikers Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko compare in debut Premier League seasons as statistics analysed

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It has been a slow-burning first season in the Premier League for both Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres and Manchester United forward Benjamin Sesko.

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Both players arrived from Europe last summer with big price tags and high expectations - and both required something of an adjustment period.

Gyokeres appears to have found his feet at Arsenal, with 21 goals in all competitions after his brace in The Gunners' Premier League win over Fulham at the start of May.

Sesko, too, has enjoyed a strong second half of the season at United, with 12 goals in all competitions.

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But how do the two strikers compare and which of them has adapted better to life in the Premier League?

TNT Sports - with the help of Opta - has had a look at the numbers, comparing Gyokeres and Sesko alongside some other notable Premier League newcomers of recent years.

Debut league seasons of strikers who cost £50m+

	Viktor Gyokeres (2025/26)	Benjamin Sesko (2025/26)	Alvaro Morata (2017/18)	Alexander Isak (2022/23)	Darwin Nunez (2022/23)	Rasmu Hojlund (2023/24)	Hugo Ekitike (2025/26)	Erling Haaland (2022/23)
Games played	33	30	31	22	29	30	28	35
Minutes played	2116	1635	2067	1524	1699	2169	1810	2776
Goals	14	11	11	10	9	10	11	36
Mins/goal	151	149	188	152	189	217	165	77
Goals ex. penalties	11	11	11	8	9	10	11	29
Expected goals	12.12	9.2	12.98	8.38	11.44	7.65	9.87	28.50

A quick glance at the numbers suggests Gyokeres has been marginally more productive this season.

Sesko, though, has a slightly better minutes-per-goal ratio, having only started 17 times in the Premier League.

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The Slovenian is also level with Gyokeres for non-penalty goals, though both players have outperformed their expected goals (xG).

Both Sesko and Gyokeres' outputs, in terms of pure goal scoring, compare relatively favourably with other Premier League debutant strikers - with the exception of Manchester City's Erling Haaland, who scored 36 in his stunning maiden campaign.

	Viktor Gyokeres (2025/26)	Benjamin Sesko (2025/26)	Alvaro Morata (2017/18)	Alexander Isak (2022/23)	Darwin Nunez (2022/23)	Rasmus Hojlund (2023/24)	Hugo Ekitike (2025/26)	Erling Haaland (2022/23)
Assists	1	1	6	1	3	2	4	8
Goals + assists	15	12	17	11	12	12	15	44
Touches	604	556	1006	650	692	685	745	830
Touches per 90	25.7	30.6	43.8	38.4	36.7	28.4	37	26.9

Neither Gyokeres nor Sesko are particularly involved in their respective sides' build-up play.

They have managed one assist each and touch the ball rarely. They are poachers far more than an all-round centre-forward such as Alvaro Morata, who got six assists in his first Premier League season.

Gyokeres' touches per 90 of just 25.7 stands out: his lack of involvement in general play has perhaps increased the scrutiny on his performances when he does not score.

Haaland is, of course, in a league of his own when it comes to output, though his touches per 90 of 26.9 is lower than Sesko's.

	Viktor Gyokeres (2025/26)	Benjamin Sesko (2025/26)	Alvaro Morata (2017/18)	Alexander Isak (2022/23)	Darwin Nunez (2022/23)	Rasmus Hojlund (2023/24)	Hugo Ekitike (2025/26)	Erling Haaland (2022/23)
Total shots	52	61	79	51	84	38	65	123
Shot conversion rate	26.9%	18%	13.9%	19.6%	10.7%	26.3%	16.9%	29.3%
Points won via goals	2	12	4	10	5	12	9	24

Gyokeres has an impressive conversion rate of 26.9%, evidence of his impressive finishing ability.

Interestingly, though, his goals have tended not to have a huge influence on games, with just two points won this season.

Sesko, by comparison, has a significantly lower conversion rate, but his goals have directly won Manchester United an eye-catching 12 points.

Rasmus Hojlund, a pertinent reference point for Sesko, also won 12 points via his goals in his first Premier League season and boasted a conversion rate of 26.3%, though his career at Old Trafford has not worked out.

How do they compare to Premier League legends?

	Thierry Henry (1999/00)	Didier Drogba (2004/05)	Fernando Torres (2007/08)	Sergio Aguero (2011/12)	Viktor Gyokeres (2025/26)	Benjamin Sesko (2025/26)
Games Played	31	26	33	34	33	30
Goals	17	10	24	23	14	11
Assists	8	5	4	8	1	1
Mins/goal	132	163	106	113	151	149
Touches per 90	-	43.9	40.4	49.5	25.7	30.6
Shot Conversion Rate	-	13.7%	22%	17.7%	26.9%	18%
Points Won via goals	15	7	15	7	2	12

Though it is, of course, not a like-for-like comparison, it is worth seeing how Gyokeres and Sesko stack up against some of the Premier League's best-ever strikers in their respective first seasons.

Both players have netted more than Didier Drogba following his move to Chelsea from Marseille.

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Gyokeres has a better conversion rate than Fernando Torres and Sergio Aguero managed in their debut campaigns at Liverpool and Manchester City respectively, which suggests the Arsenal man might have been more prolific in a more creative team.

It remains to be seen if either Gyokeres or Sesko will hit the heights of some of the Premier League's greats, but their first seasons have, despite the slow starts, shown plenty of promise.

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