So, will Viktor Gyokeres live up to the buzz surrounding him? The central forward, eagerly awaited by Arsenal fans for years, joined the team last week. All indications suggest the Swede is determined not to buckle under the immense pressure of expectations.
And indeed, there`s no shortage of such anticipation. Gyokeres`s No. 14 shirt, a tribute to club record-scorer Thierry Henry, has become the best-selling in Arsenal`s history, partly due to free printing in club shops. Singapore`s National Stadium roared with delight at the sight of him in the jersey before a pre-season friendly against Newcastle United.
Should his debut happen on Thursday, when Arsenal face Tottenham in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong, the hype is set to skyrocket. Mikel Arteta is doing his best to temper expectations, stating his new signing “only had today`s session and very little yesterday.” Regarding an imminent first game, the Arsenal boss added: “We`re going to assess him tonight. If the medical staff are pleased with his condition, it`s possible.”
Arsenal supporters believe he`s the player whose goals can lead them to their first Premier League title in 22 years, and perhaps even their first European Cup. It`s easy to see why: even in the striker-friendly environment of the Portuguese Primeira Liga, Gyokeres delivered shots and goals at a rate unseen for a generation. Across 102 games with Sporting, the Swede scored 97 goals, provided 28 assists, averaged 3.7 shots per 90 minutes, and most importantly, won two titles. No one has scored more than Gyokeres`s 39 goals last season since Mario Jardel in 2001-02.
However, with a potential debut on the horizon, names like Jardel don`t exactly inspire confidence among supporters. Between 1996 and 2003 (excluding a year in Turkey), the Brazilian was one of Europe`s most sought-after forwards, scoring more than a goal per game in league play. Yet, upon his arrival in England, his average for Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League was precisely zero goals. Carlos Vinicius, Fabio Silva, Darwin Nunez – Portugal has seen many expensive forwards fail to make their mark in England. This is hardly surprising, given that, according to ELO ratings, the weakest teams in the Portuguese top flight are roughly on par with the best teams in England`s League One.
Arsenal is confident that Gyokeres will not be another addition to the long list of flops from Western Europe. The Swede is familiar with the English game from his time at Coventry, possesses the necessary physicality to adapt to the league, and is utterly fearless as he embarks on what he knows will be the career-defining move. The Gunners` negotiators were reportedly impressed by Gyokeres`s urgency to join North London, his agent`s willingness to sacrifice commissions to smooth tempestuous negotiations with Sporting, and Gyokeres`s own desire for “revenge” after failing to succeed at Brighton.
Equally encouraging were his performances in the Champions League. Although the sample size is small, the 27-year-old terrorized Manchester City, scoring a hat-trick, which accounted for half of his six goals in the group stage. As with his Portuguese output, the numbers appear less impressive when penalties are excluded (two in Europe last season), yet it`s clear that Gyokeres made a significant impact on some of Europe`s top defenders, including one of his new teammates.
“It`s scary to play against him,” William Saliba commented on the Swede, who caused him considerable trouble even during Arsenal`s convincing win in Lisbon last November. “When you face a goal-scoring striker, you have to be fully focused! But now he`s in our team, and he`ll score for us, which is great.”
Had Arsenal not had Saliba and Gabriel in their defense that day, they would have been fortunate to keep Gyokeres from scoring; so relentless was the then-Sporting striker in pursuing balls down the channels. Arteta`s side was prepared to leave almost half the pitch between their last outfield player and the goal; Gyokeres`s eyes lit up at such a prospect. These were the avenues to his trademark goals: bursting into space on the counter-attack, driving at the defender, and smashing home a shot, as he did against Boavista in the clip shown below.
This is one of the goals Rio Ferdinand referred to on his podcast. “I`ve watched him closely, probably three times. And all three times I thought: `He won`t get that kind of opportunity in the Prem.` Does he have enough — after he`s physically matched — to score goals?`”
It remains unclear if Gyokeres possesses that “something extra” to overcome Premier League defenses. However, based on the last three years, opportunities like the one shown above will be exceedingly rare when he plays for his new team. Opposing teams won`t defend against Arsenal the way Arsenal defended against Sporting. They will pack the box and keep players deep in possession, doing anything to limit the transition threat posed by Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.
Gyokeres will need to adapt to being a striker who finishes long possession spells, but Arsenal doesn`t require this transformation immediately. Despite all the hype surrounding a new central forward, it`s worth noting that Arsenal already has a player in their ranks with whom they perform exceptionally well. In his two seasons since joining from Chelsea, Kai Havertz has contributed 27 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League and Champions League, making him second only to Saka in goal involvements within the squad. Given all the buzz around the newcomer, it seems highly plausible that Havertz will lead the line on opening day.
Ultimately, despite all the hype surrounding Gyokeres, a deal worth an initial $74 million with an additional $11.5 million in potential add-ons isn`t exactly `superstar` money in 2025. Arsenal entered the summer knowing that if they couldn`t acquire their primary target, Alexander Isak, they would be seeking forwards who could complement Havertz rather than completely displace him.
Arteta has acquired another attacking option, whose relentless pursuit of shots and goals stands in stark contrast to other central forward choices in the squad. The new player isn`t set to fundamentally change Arsenal`s attack but rather to complement it. Therefore, assessing Gyokeres solely by the measure of `living up to the hype` might be unreasonable.
