Benjamin Šeško (foto: Getty Images)
Benjamin Šeško scored his first brace in 462 days against Burnley, boosting confidence and reshaping comparisons with Gyökeres, Isak and other high-profile Premier League forwards.
Benjamin Šeško finally did it again. After a wait of 462 days, the Slovenian striker scored more than once in a single match, netting twice against Burnley and doubling his Premier League goal tally in the process.
The timing could hardly have been more important. The goals came in his first match after the departure of Rúben Amorim, at a moment when places in the starting XI are once again up for grabs. Just as crucially, Šeško bought himself some breathing space after a frustrating run of games marked by missed chances and repeated shots off the woodwork.
A long wait finally over
Šeško had not scored a brace since 2 October 2024, when he struck twice against Juventus in the Champions League. Around that period, goals were flowing: only four days before Juventus he scored twice against Augsburg, and a month earlier he hit a hat-trick for Slovenia national football team against Kazakhstan.
Since then, however, confidence had dipped. That made the two goals against Burnley not just statistically significant, but psychologically vital.
How does Šeško now compare?
Because of his hefty transfer fee and high expectations, Šeško has been measured all season against other headline attacking signings who arrived in the Premier League last summer.
Among that group are Viktor Gyökeres at Arsenal, Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitiké at Liverpool, and Nick Woltemade at Newcastle United.
After 17 Premier League appearances, Šeško now has four goals. Gyökeres has scored five goals in 18 league matches for Arsenal, while Isak — the most expensive striker of the group — has managed just two goals in 10 appearances.
At the top of the mini-ranking are Woltemade and Ekitiké. Woltemade has seven goals in 18 matches for Newcastle, while Ekitiké leads the way with eight goals from 18 games for Liverpool.
Šeško is still playing catch-up, but the brace against Burnley changes the tone. After months of pressure and near-misses, he has delivered when it mattered — and put himself back into the conversation among the Premier League’s new generation of high-profile strikers.