Viktor Gyokeres remains a key summer transfer target for Arsenal, football.london understands. Mikel Arteta wants to add more firepower to his side and has admitted he will be insistent that the side is not left short, as he claims it was at the start of the current campaign.
The Swede has gained considerable notoriety following what is quite simply an astonishing number of goals for any player. In two seasons with Sporting CP, Gyokeres has scored 96 goals in 101 matches for the Portuguese side.
Add to that the 28 assists on top of the goal haul, and he has been Europe’s most prolific goal contributor by some margin. Even Erling Haaland cannot match the volume with 28 less across all competitions for Manchester City these past two seasons, and 17 fewer assists.
One of the most notable concerns that is raised in the direction of a Gyokeres move is the record of players who make the switch from Portugal to other top leagues, particularly the Premier League.
Carlos Vinicius and, of course, Darwin Nunez have not necessarily enjoyed the best of times in England’s top flight, with the latter the main example used when arguing against a move for Gyokeres. But the difference in goal-scoring between the pair is quite considerable.
In 57 Portuguese league matches, Nunez scored 32 goals. Whereas in 66 league games, Gyokeres managed to notch an astonishing 68.
He was consistent across the two seasons and improved over both campaigns, in fact, topping his astonishing tally last season for the Lisbon-based club.
Where Nunez was signed by Liverpool for £85million after one top season for Benfica, Arsenal and other sides that are interested have waited and given the Swede another campaign to prove himself, which he has then taken. To compare the two as a reason not to sign the Sporting talisman simply does not add up.
Especially when the price is considered to be quite a bit lower to what Liverpool ended up paying in 2022. Having Gyokeres and Kai Havertz next season certainly offers Arteta more goal-scoring potential at a club that is already creating plenty of opportunities for those that have simply not been clinical enough.
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london’s dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you’re curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.
