In a recent interview, KS1 TV (via TBR Football), journalist Steve Key stated that Arsenal remain keen on recruiting Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyokeres this summer. Kay said,
“We know for a long while Arsenal have been massive fans of Gyokeres over there, that is still not dead. The only thing that has changed with Gyokeres is that in January there was a chance we would’ve paid the £86m, but with the form of Kai Havertz, Arsenal would never pay that for any forward.
“It’s all about who becomes available, whether it’s a winger or a striker, Arsenal can go either or. If Gyokeres is available and Arsenal can get him for £50m, I can guarantee he would be the number one, and as I said earlier in the show, that’s not dead, they are massive fans of Gyokeres.”
Gyokeres’ Impressive Form In Portuguese Football
Gyokeres had a productive campaign at the Portuguese club as he put in a series of impressive performances for them in the final third. The Swedish talent scored 43 times and earned 15 assists in 50 matches for Sporting last season on all fronts.
The 26-year-old led the line well for his team based on his average of 3.5 shots, 1.6 key passes and 2.1 dribbles per game in Liga Portugal. However, he was a bit untidy when distributing the ball in the opponent’s half, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 73% in league football (stats via whoscored).
Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Go For Gyokeres?
Gyokeres is proficient at finding some space for himself to get a few strikes in at goal. He has proven himself to be a prolific finisher in front of the opponent’s goal and has got the vision to orchestrate some decent chances for his teammates in the final third. The Swedish talent is a decent dribbler with the ball at his feet. However, he has to find a way to improve his link-up play up top.
We can expect Gyokeres to bring more firepower to Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta‘s attack. He is good enough to fight for regular first-team football at the North London club in the coming years.
At 26, Gyokeres is about to enter his prime, so it makes sense for the Gunners to go for a striker of his skill set this summer. However, only time will tell whether he can make a smooth transition to life in England.
