It was between Viktor Gyôkeres, Ruben Amorim’s favorite striker, and Benjamin Sesko. The Swede ended up in London, the Slovenian was “the chosen one”. Rasmus Hojlund had his chances, now United were willing to pay 70-80 million euros for the striker who can deliver 20-30 goals every season. So what decided United didn’t go for the striker tailor-made for Amorim football? An expert from the Formula 1 community presented the statistics that led to Sesko.
Manchester United opted to target Benjamin Sesko rather than Viktor Gyokeres this summer, with the Red Devils believing the young Slovenian was a better fit for the project and their style of play based on data. Sesko has had a slow start in the Premier League, but the club still believe that the 22-year-old has a bright future at Old Trafford and is a big part of the club’s future under Ruben Amorim.
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According to The Times, Sesko’s race statistics were crucial for the signing. Mike Sansoni joined the club as Chief Data Officer this summer after 11 years with Mercedes Formula 1 teams, and has led the new focus on data throughout United’s recruitment process.
Sansoni is working closely with Director of Football Jason Wilcox and leading an initiative for the club to become a “fully data-driven club that will drive success on and off the pitch”, using its extensive range of data on tens of thousands of players. This data led to the big signing of Sesko, who hopes to prove that the club has made the right choice in the coming months.
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Then we will see if the statistics tell “everything”. So far, Sesko, currently out injured, has two Premier League goals in 11 games, Gyökeres has four in 10 PL games and creates, as Arteta puts it: “Trouble for the defenders every time he has the ball.
