Arsenal appointed a new sporting director on Sunday, Andrea Berta, who replaced Edu when he left early. Viktor Gyokeres has been on Berta's radar for a long time. Arsenal expect the new sporting director of the team to play a big role in bringing Gyokeres to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
Captain Mikel Arteta really likes Newcastle's Alexander Isak. However, there is no sign that The Magpies will let the Swedish striker leave the team. If there is, the transfer fee will be huge, expected to exceed the amount The Gunners can pay. In addition, Arsenal have had a lot of contact with Benjamin Sesko of Leipzig. The Slovenia striker has many pursuing teams, so it is uncertain whether the "Gunners" will win this summer.
Since moving to Sporting from Conventry City in 2023, the Swedish striker has played excellently and helped the Portuguese capital team win many titles. He has 85 goals and 26 assists in 92 matches in all competitions. Although he has not yet set foot in the world's top leagues such as the Premier League, Gyokeres is expected to become the top striker of the old continent in the following seasons.
Recently, when the attack line was short of a striker due to injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, Mikel Merino was pushed up to play "false 9" by Arteta. However, using the Spanish midfielder to play as a deep-lying player in this position is only a temporary solution, not a long-term one. Therefore, the need for a striker of The Gunners is considered very urgent.
As for Gyokeres, the 26-year-old striker is considered a late bloomer as it was not until last season that he gradually gained attention after his success with Sporting. Gyokeres is a striker with speed but not too fast like Kylian Mbappe. He possesses good dribbling skills but is not as flexible as Lamine Yamal. Viktor Gyokeres is the closest model to Harry Kane but he needs a big destination to truly reach the level.
The history of the competition shows that Gyokeres is not the type of player who is versatile in terms of position. He was a striker for Coventry City but then had to move to Brighton. Only when he was returned to his rightful position in the Sporting shirt, plus luck, did the Swedish star shine.
Gyokeres is not good at playing on the wing, but it was during his time at Brighton that the striker had to practice playing wide, instead of just around the penalty area. This style of play would be very suitable if Gyokeres joined Arsenal as the strikers often drop back to receive the ball from a distance and coordinate with his teammates.
Previously, some strikers who switched from Primeira Liga to Premier League have encountered many difficulties such as Carlos Vinicius, Islam Slimani or recently Darwin Nunez. Therefore, this will be a barrier for Viktor Gyokeres if he really wants to set foot in the most fierce playground in the world of football.
