Gary Lineker admits surprise at Arsenal transfer business after £30million signing
Gary Lineker has discussed Arsenal's approach to signing a new striker after Chelsea beat their rivals to activating Liam Delap's £30million release clause at Ipswich Town
Gary Lineker has admitted his surprise that Arsenal seemingly overlooked Liam Delap in their search for a new striker.
The Gunners have identified the need for a new number nine as a priority in the summer transfer window. Arsenal are understood to be in discussions over a deal for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, having also been routinely linked with a move for Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres.
Boss Mikel Arteta will hope that signing a centre forward will prove the key piece in helping the club end its more than two-decade-long wait to win the Premier League title. Chelsea acted quickly to snap up Liam Delap for £30million, and Lineker believes the Ipswich Town forward should have been one of Arsenal’s top targets.
“Delap to Chelsea, interesting one,” Lineker said on The Rest Is Football podcast. “I thought maybe Arsenal would go for him. Perhaps they did, I don’t know, but Chelsea have got their man.
“We’d said, didn’t we, many times that Chelsea needed backup for [Nicolas] Jackson up top or an alternative. I think he’s a young, exciting centre forward. I saw someone, I can’t remember who it was, said they saw a bit of a young Alan Shearer in him.
“I think that’s the only thing that Chelsea were missing. I mean, Jackson’s got something in him, but his finishing is not as good as it could be. And if Delap does realise his full potential, then that might just be the missing ingredient.”
While Lineker focused primarily on what Delap could bring to Chelsea, the discussion echoed what many have said about how the right striker would strengthen Arsenal. Lineker compared him to a young Shearer, and the Newcastle United legend praised the new Chelsea man’s style of play.
“I think he’s a bit old-fashioned. He’s like a throwback from what a centre forward was maybe 20, 30 years ago, where they were all in fashion,” Shearer said. “He’s always like aggressive, horrible to play against, doesn’t mind mixing it up, and obviously scores goals.
“I mean, the number of goals he scored in a really struggling team, that is only going to get better. I think at his age, the ability he’s got now, I think he’s got a really bright future and I like him.”
The 22-year-old scored 12 league goals for a relegated Ipswich side that finished 16 points short of Tottenham Hotspur in 17th. Meanwhile, Sesko, who is the same age as Delap, scored 21 goals in all competitions for a Leipzig side that competed in the Champions League and narrowly missed out on the European places in the Bundesliga.
The Slovenia international has played in European competitions for the last four seasons and scored 39 goals in 87 games during his two-year stint with Leipzig. Given his more proven track record for a side in one of Europe’s top five leagues, combined with his potential to improve, it is understandable why Arsenal have prioritised Sekso over other possible targets.
However, any deal for Sesko will likely break Arsenal’s £60m transfer record for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The 22-year-old striker was previously linked with the Gunners in 2024 but signed a new deal last summer, increasing his value.
Arsenal’s lack of a consistent goalscorer was evident this season, with Kai Havertz topping the charts with nine league goals despite his lengthy injury lay-off. It was that lack of a prolific striker that ultimately played a significant part in the Gunners finishing 10 points behind Premier League champions Liverpool.