Austrian giants Salzburg, in its current capacity under Red Bull ownership, is only 16 years old and yet the club has consistently spilled out some of the world’s most flawless young talents over the past decade.
Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane, Kevin Kampl, Naby Keita, Dayot Upamecano and so many others have passed through the Salzburg system and now their current side is about to propel several players onto the radar of many across the globe.
One player that is still in his infancy is Benjamin Šeško, one of the club’s most promising attacking players under the age of 20.
The Slovenian had to wait for his chance to secure his spot for Salzburg having spent two seasons on loan at FC Liefering, and even then Sesko struggled for regular minutes.
As such, Sesko scored just five goals across 24 appearances, largely playing second fiddle to Karim Adeyemi and Noah Okafor, but the former’s move to Borussia Dortmund this summer means the teenager has been handed the chance to consolidate a starting spot and he’s took the opportunity with both hands as he netted the opener in Salzburg’s opening day 3-0 win over Austria Wien last week.
However, he won’t be a Salzburg player for too long, with sister-club RB Leipzig securing his services for the 2023/24 campaign and beyond for a fee of around £55million.
The 19-year old, who had been targeted by Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle throughout the summer, will stay at Salzburg on loan for the season before joining Leipzig next summer.
The Slovenian international has signed a five-year contract until 2028 at the Red Bull Arena.
So who is he, and what could he bring to the German Bundesliga?
Who is Benjamin Šeško?
Born in Radeče, Slovenia, Šeško began his youth career at his local side Radece before landing with several other sides in his native country.
In 2019, he joined Red Bull Salzburg and spent time with the club’s reserve side FC Liefering, where he began to shine over several seasons.
While his first season at Liefering wasn’t particularly special, his second season there was fantastic as he registered 21 goals in 29 appearances.
He returned to Salzburg last summer and he managed 11 goals and 7 assists in 37 games in all competitions last season.
He’s begun the 2022/23 brilliantly, though notching 4 goals in pre-season including two against Ajax and Liverpool and has already opened his account in the Austrian League after only two games.
Eligible for Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (due to his mother hailing from Doboj), Šeško opted for the former, having represented the country at the under-15, under-16, under-17, and under-19 levels.
In May 2021, the forward was called up to the senior team manager Matjaž Kek for a pair of friendlies. He debuted for Slovenia in a 1–1 friendly tie with North Macedonia the following month at the age of 18 years of age and 1 day old, the youngest debutant in the national team, surpassing the previous record set by Petar Stojanović seven years earlier.
He notched his first goal for his country in October 2021 in a World Cip qualification match against Malta becoming Slovenia’s youngest ever goalscorer at the age of 18 years, 4 months and 8 days.
Šeško has been likened to Haaland because of his elite combination of size, a 6’4″ frame, and pace.
“My team-mates at the club tell me that Haaland and I are very similar, especially in terms of speed,” Šeško said. “Most of them even tell me that I’m better than him.”
Obviously that’s a very glowing endorsement from his teammates considering what Haaland is accomplishing at such a young age, but anyone that watches Šeško recognizes his athleticism and application is elite and if given the opportunity he could truly evolve into one of Europe’s best strikers like his predecessor.
So how good is Benjamin Šeško?
When feasting your eyes on the Slovenian hitman, one striking element of his is his sheer size and imposing figure, standing at 6’4″. He is capable of towering over his markers and he uses his powerful build to get the better of defenders.
And like Haaland, despite his stature, the teenager has ample pace to either drive past opponents or time his runs to perfection in his quest for goal – he’s tall, long, quick for his size and their movement styles are strangely similar, with gangly arms and lengthy strides. His timely runs can be to either capitalise on parried shots on goal or if he does hang off the shoulder of the last defender, to beat the offside trap.
At just 19 years of age, and without top level European experience under his belt yet, Šeško possesses the ingredients, know-how and attributes needed to morph into a well-rounded complete centre forward in no time at all.
Capable of finishing well with either his right or left foot, the two-footedness to his game means he can at times prove difficult to read for defenders.
This quality has helped raise Šeško’s profile considerably and when you take into account only eight players scored in excess of five goals with their right foot and their left foot in Europe’s top five leagues last season, it’s a desired attribute in the modern game, and it’s shown that most of the top-level forwards in the game right now possess such a key characteristic, so Šeško is well on the right path to European stardom.
Šeško is also a solid aerial threat inside the opposition area, so seems the archetypal battering ram of a frontman.
A striker who is physically strong, tall, possesses a real presence in the box but also holds the capabilities to link effectively with his fellow attacking outlets are of high demand in the modern game and Šeško impressively fits the mould.
The role of a striker has tremendously evolved in recent years, with managers no longer desiring a sole penalty box predator – unless you’re Robert Lewandowski of course – but a frontman capable of becoming crucially involved and influential in an around the final third.
The Slovenian’s link-up play and off-the-ball movement is a huge asset in his game. As he’s 6’’4, it’s not surprising that he’s very good aerially making him a threat in the opposition’s box from crosses and set pieces. Despite being so tall, Šeško also possesses incredible pace. His pace as well as strength and skillfulness make him a nightmare for any defender to play against.
The youngster is able to find pockets of space between the defence and midfield that enables him to link up play in attack. He can then use his strength to hold off pressure from markers and allow those in support to make runs in behind, maximizing the space he has worked in the process.
Šeško would be an absolute dream for attacking midfielders and wingers, due to his unique nous of running beyond defensive lines, latching on to through balls through his searing speed and acceleration, and more importantly his off-the-ball movement.
The 19-year-old is also very good at exploiting space. His high-end speed enables him to attack weak areas of opposition defences, especially when on the counter attack, leaving defenders in his wake. While he is quite skilled at carrying possession, most of his best in these transitional situations are done when latching on to the end of passes, not in possession.
He is also a threat in the air, combining his sheer size and leap with good timing and technique to consistently redirect crosses towards goal – albeit by darting across a centre-back or competing from a standing leap. He is yet to find that clinical edge as a finisher, like Haaland has always possessed.
Last season, the Austria international finished the season with five goals and three assists. However, this season he started the fastest out of the blocks.
He bagged in their opening league game of the season and has gone on to bag four goals in nine league starts at the time of writing. He appears to improve game upon game, with his ceiling seemingly growing as the seasons’ progress.
Šeško is known to be prone to snatching at chances, despite striking the ball well, his finishing is rushed at times and would need development, but at the tender age of 19, those raw tendencies will be ironed out with more maturity, time, top-level coaching and of course more exposure to first team action at the elite level.
Though, his finishing qualities was clearly evident in his recent goal for Slovenia in the UEFA Nations League during the September internationals where he became an instant internet sensation, hitting a first time volley from an impossible angle with stunning precision following such fine and predatory movement.
Šeško’s Future Prospects
As expected, interest in Šeško has risen tremendously in recent months, with Manchester United recently amongst those keenest on the Slovenia international. However, it is RB Leipzig who have managed to tickle his fancy as the club he wants to join and continue his fine development, taking on a similar route to one of his Salzburg predecessor in Erling Haaland.
The 19-year-old is the perfect signing for both parties with the Germans acquiring a striker who they could mould into a world beater, and Šeško joining a side he can gain much better recognition and platform that he is getting in Austria.
The forward has also been lauded as a “generational talent” by journalist Ryan Taylor, and it is easy to see why clubs such Manchester United, Newcastle United and Chelsea were all linked with his services in the past.
Given his high ceiling and unique style of play, Šeško seems the perfect calibre of forward to adjust seamlessly and thrive in the German Bundesliga.
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