Arsenal signed Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres on Saturday, bringing an end to the Premier League club's years-long search for a prolific goal-scorer.
Gyokeres completed a move from Sporting Lisbon worth a reported 63 million pounds ($85 million) and signed a five-year contract.
“Viktor is an exceptional talent and has consistently demonstrated he has the qualities and winning mentality required of a top-level centre-forward. His physicality, intelligence and work ethic make him a perfect fit for our vision,” said Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta.
The 27-year-old striker joins Arsenal after establishing himself as one of the deadliest finishers in world soccer after two outstanding seasons in Portugal, where he fired Lisbon to back-to-back league titles. He hit 97 goals in 102 games, including 54 last term, outscoring the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah.
A top-class striker has long-been considered the missing element for Arsenal, which was runner-up in each of the last three Premier League seasons. The failure to bring one in during the January transfer window badly undermined its attempts to challenge Liverpool for the title last term.
“The consistency he has shown in his performances and availability have been outstanding, and his goal contributions speak for themselves,” said manager Mikel Arteta. “He is a quick and powerful presence up front, with incredible goal-scoring numbers at club and international levels.”
Gyokeres returns to England after joining Brighton as a youth player and later emerging at second-tier Coventry, where his 22 goals helped the team reach the playoff final in 2023.
His record of 40 goals in 97 games for Coventry caught the attention of Lisbon and led to a 20.5 million pounds ($25 million) move to the Portuguese club.
Gyokeres' explosive form over the past two seasons has sparked frequent speculation about a move to one of European soccer's giants, including Manchester United. But Arsenal has won the race for his signature and the transfer represents a remarkable rise for a player who was first developed at Brommapojkarna, a Swedish club with a reputation for guiding the careers of some of the country’s best emerging talents.
“He was a late developer because he was not the best striker or the best player in Brommapojkarna at age 16, 17, 18, 19," Dalibor Savic, his former youth coach at the Swedish club told The Associated Press in November. “If he aims at something, he will achieve it.”
Gyokeres will have to prove he can make the step up to the Premier League after failing to break through at Brighton, a club known for unearthing players like Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister in recent years. He only made eight appearances for the club and was loaned to St Pauli in Germany and Swansea before his permanent move to Coventry.
His performances for Sweden and in the Champions League suggest he will be able to continue that form at Arsenal.
He was the leading scorer in the Nations League with nine goals, outperforming Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo, and hit six in eight appearances in the Champions League for Lisbon last season.
“I started here (in England), it feels like a long time ago. I think I’ve improved a lot since then. Now I want to prove myself for real and perform together with the team," Gyokeres said. “I always want to score. To be a part of this club and to score in this kit and with this badge in front of all the supporters, I can’t wait."
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
James Robson, The Associated Press
