Key Takeaways
- Viktor Gyökeres is finally joining Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon, worth a fee of €63.5m plus €10m.
- The Swedish international is one of the best young strikers in the world and was absolutely clinical in Portugal over the last two seasons.
- How does he fit into the Gunners' starting XI for the upcoming Premier League campaign?
Viktor Gyokeres taking a penalty for Sporting CP (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Arsenal have fallen just short in back-to-back Premier League seasons, finishing as runners-up to Manchester City in 2023-24 and then Liverpool in 2024-25. They’ve yet to win a major trophy despite putting together two impressive campaigns.
However, the Gunners continue to bolster their squad and on Tuesday, they landed arguably the best young striker on the globe – Viktor Gyökeres. The Swedish international was absolutely lethal at Sporting Lisbon last term, and a big move was expected in this summer’s transfer window. As Fabrizio Romano reported, the deal is worth €63.5m plus €10m. Gyökeres had his sights strictly focused on making the switch to North London.
This is a massive signing for Arsenal, who bring in a player who is seemingly built for the Premier League. He’s physical, skilled, technical, and has an innate ability to hit the back of the net. Gyökeres bagged 54 goals in 52 matches last season. Across two years with Sporting, the 27-year-old scored 97 goals and tallied 28 assists across all competitions.
Arsenal operated without a true No. 9 for a lot of ‘24-25 due to injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. They ultimately finished 10 points behind league winners Liverpool and scored 17 fewer goals. The need for a true No. 9 like Gyökeres was clear. While other clubs tried to make a late push for the Swede, including Manchester United, there was little doubt he was going to wear an Arsenal shirt.
How Gyökeres Fits Into Arsenal Squad
From front to back, Mikel Arteta has a strong squad at his disposal. The backline allowed just 34 goals in 38 matches last term while scoring 69. Several players are more than capable of producing the goods in the final third, including Bukayo Saka, Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, and even Declan Rice. But, Havertz was their leading scorer with nine tallies, and he only made 23 Premier League appearances.
Gyökeres made it very clear in Portugal that he is absolutely clinical. He’s also familiar with the style of play in England – the striker was briefly at Brighton before eventually joining Championship side Coventry City prior to his move to Sporting. There’s no question the absence of a No. 9 was a weakness for Arsenal in their pursuit of the title. While there’s no guarantee Gyökeres will be banging in goals at such a rapid rate in the best league in the world, the statistics speak for themselves.
Per Transfermarkt, Gyökeres has scored 68 goals in 66 league games over the last two seasons. That’s the most of any player in Europe’s top 10 leagues. The Swedish superstar sits above the likes of Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland in that regard. Yes, 17 of those goals were from the penalty spot, and Gyökeres has never played in a top-five league, but we also have to look at how Arteta has developed attackers at the Emirates.
Mikel Merino was used in a more forward position last season and Arteta brought the best out of him as he scored seven goals. The same can be said about Havertz, who is by no means a natural striker. But if we look at someone like Gyökeres, he’s a born finisher. Imagine how Arteta can elevate his game with the abilities he already has?
The one area where players struggle to adapt to England is the physical aspect. As previously mentioned, he’s a specimen. Gyökeres made defenders look foolish at times in Portugal and he also has tremendous pace for his size. His first touch can be iffy at times, but overall, he has all the tools to step into the Arsenal starting XI and succeed from day one. He eats, sleeps, and breathes scoring goals.
Gyökeres just may be the missing piece that will allow the Gunners to seriously compete for a title in 2025-26.
