Viktor Gyökeres has gone from Championship flop to certainly one of Europe’s most in-form strikers within the area of simply three years. Having struggled for many of his profession, the Sweden striker scored 97 targets in 102 video games for Portuguese membership Sporting CP since transferring from Coventry City for €20 million in July 2023, which was sufficient to influence Arsenal to half with €63m (plus a possible €10m in add-ons) to carry him to the Premier League this summer time.
– Finally! Arsenal get Gyökeres from Sporting CP
– Why did Gyökeres signing take so long?
It’s all a far cry from January 2021, when he was on Brighton & Hove Albion‘s books and had a dismal mortgage spell at Swansea City reduce quick. Even those that stored religion are shocked at Gyökeres’ gorgeous transformation.
Chris Badlan, now a scout for Aston Villa following a stint as head of recruitment at Scottish membership Aberdeen, held the same place at Coventry when Gyökeres arrived.
“I all the time thought Viktor was a Premier League striker, however did I see him being in comparison with [Manchester City striker] Erling Haaland? No, and never many individuals would,” Badlan advised ESPN. “However did I feel he’d rating targets once I noticed he’d signed for Sporting CP? Sure, 100%.
“The attributes he is bought, all of us knew he’d be an excellent striker. To get to the extent he is bought to, it’s a must to have a little bit of luck like everyone, however you continue to must have that mentality. Viktor has all the time needed to be one of the best participant he may very well be, and he is gone and performed that.”
Editor’s word: A model of this text appeared in November 2024 and has been up to date to replicate that he is accomplished a summer time transfer to Arsenal.
Rising up in Sweden
Gyökeres joined Swedish membership Brommapojkarna on the age of 16 and started work on changing from a winger to a middle ahead. “While everyone else had regular coaching, I used to be coaching on my own on the opposite aspect of the pitch, honing one thing so fundamental,” Gyökeres said in 2024. “It was extremely robust, but it surely took me to the subsequent stage.”
Brommapojkarna scout David Eklund tells ESPN: “We noticed that he had the talents to be a No. 9 striker together with his energy and breakthrough capability and began to concentrate on these talents. He grew loads and began to provide targets increasingly more usually.”
Eighteen aim involvements in a breakthrough season adopted, and the story of his last weeks at Brommapojkarna is the stuff of fairytales.
“Two weeks earlier than his last recreation, we had secured promotion to Allsvenskan [Sweden’s top division] and all of us knew that Viktor was leaving for Brighton after the season,” Eklund says. “Within the last recreation we had our sights on profitable the league, and Viktor additionally had an inside battle for being our prime aim scorer, tied with Kevin Kabran.
“After scoring a hat trick, he was subbed off and your entire stadium stood up for him, in addition to the gamers and employees on the bench. [It was] one of many nice highlights in our historical past.”
Gyökeres’ transfer to Brighton in January 2018 appeared to sign a major step ahead, however his upward trajectory rapidly flatlined. — James Olley
Technical evaluation
Gyökeres had already attracted the eye of an enormous variety of European elite golf equipment when breaking by means of as an adolescent at Brommapojkarna within the mid-2010s. His performances there and for Sweden’s youth sides earned him the “wonderkid” tag, and he was thought-about the nation’s greatest attacking expertise since Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Whereas sharp ending abilities have all the time been part of his recreation, regardless of periodically failing to make use of them persistently, the 27-year-old has now refined these talents to perfection. Whether or not because of added maturity or detailed teaching work by his former coach at Sporting, Ruben Amorim, he is now able to scoring from a variety of means.
Maybe what makes Gyökeres so prolific is his fast execution approach. When in possession of the ball within the field, he’s glorious at mapping out the quick surrounding space and can discover the goal both on the primary contact with the ball or after minimal adjusting touches. He not often dithers or overelaborates in entrance of aim. Although right-footed, he has develop into extremely able to ending together with his left — by means of energy and choosing his spot — or sometimes by means of positive heading approach.
It does not matter if service comes from large or central positions; he’s extraordinarily good at anticipating the motion patterns of defenders (i.e. the place they’ll make positional runs). He usually arrives on the blind aspect for a one-touch end, typically on the again publish or from cutbacks. But what makes Gyökeres much more fascinating for the elite golf equipment is how he conducts himself when venturing large or into deeper areas. He is usually a basic poacher in entrance of aim, however he additionally has the long-distance tempo, ball-carrying abilities and acceleration to trigger actual havoc in transitional play.
One comparatively new technical element is his capability to deceive his marker when positioning himself large, particularly on the left. When being performed into, he typically makes use of a decoy step, or two, towards to make his opponent suppose he is about to manage the ball, inviting them to shut him down or sort out. As an alternative, he’ll spin on the half-turn with out taking a contact, pulling the opponent away from the ball turning his physique to face aim and darting towards the field.
This element will not be solely a function normally aware about nimble wingers, but it surely additionally illustrates how rapidly he picks up velocity from a standing place, his intelligence and spectacular mobility (which mustn’t be taken without any consideration in a 6-foot-2 middle ahead).
Past the mere technical and tactical points, Gyökeres performs with actual confidence. Scoring targets makes for a virtuous circle, in fact, however his immense self-belief can also be probably a product of Amorim’s motivational abilities and unwavering belief within the participant. Together with his confidence ranges proper now, there may be an additional stage of power to his play: The primary contact is extra assured, plus his audacious flicks and fast one-twos have a tendency to come back off, too. — Tor-Kristian Karlsen
England transfer has ups and downs
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How switch ‘velocity relationship’ helped Viktor Gyökeres to Sporting
Rob Dawson explains the idea of TransferRoom on “The Soccer Reporters” podcast, and the way it helped Coventry Metropolis comply with a deal for Viktor Gyökeres with Sporting.
Gyökeres is considered by many because the one who bought away from Brighton, given the speedy acceleration in his growth in current seasons, however he’s additionally by definition one thing of a victory for his or her recruitment mannequin that recognized him within the first place. Brighton have developed a popularity as among the finest identifiers of obscure expertise by means of a data-led analytics mannequin shrouded in secrecy and the brainchild of proprietor, Tony Bloom.
A supply at Brighton with data of the scenario advised ESPN that Gyökeres began fairly properly in Brighton’s under-23s, however the membership determined a mortgage pathway was one of the best route. Gyökeres spent the 2019-20 season at German membership St. Pauli, the place he scored seven targets in 28 video games, typically deployed on the left wing.
One other supply advised ESPN that Brighton then most popular a second mortgage, this time to a membership in English soccer the place they might higher gauge his capacity. The six-month stint at Swansea that adopted was an enormous disappointment. One supply linked to Swansea advised ESPN that Gyökeres “seemed misplaced” at occasions, one thing underlined by a report of only one aim in 12 appearances throughout all competitions. That solitary strike got here in an FA Cup third-round recreation at Stevenage.
By the point he returned to Brighton in January 2021, Gyökeres was at a crossroads. Sources advised ESPN that Gyökeres had an choice to return to Germany, however he selected to affix Coventry.
“Viktor is somebody me and my chief scout on the time, Stuart Benthom, knew about when he was taking part in out in Sweden,” Badlan tells ESPN. “As a scout, you could know who one of the best 16- and 17-year-olds are who’re taking part in on the continent. Brighton had signed him so we adopted him of their under-23s, he then went to St. Pauli and we simply stored monitoring him such as you all the time do.
“We had an curiosity in [central defender] Leo Østigård on the similar time [also on loan at St. Pauli from Brighton], so it type of helped that after we watching Leo at St. Pauli, Viktor was there.”
Østigård joined Coventry in August 2020 and helped persuade his good friend Gyökeres to take a step right down to the second tier of English soccer a couple of months later, initially on a six-month mortgage when he scored thrice in 19 Championship matches.
“He was clearly very pissed off with what occurred at Swansea,” Badlan says. “Brighton have been seeking to get him on a brand new contract, however I knew Viktor’s agent on the time properly, having performed offers with him at Norwich, after which we had two or three middle forwards injured on the similar time so we may present him the chance. All of it married up as a result of he needed to play and we would have liked a striker right away.”
Though Gyökeres began slowly, the summer time of 2021 (when he turned 23) is taken into account a pivotal second in his profession. He spent the offseason working arduous on his conditioning, returning for the 2021-22 preseason a distinct participant.
“Viktor’s greatest energy is his mentality,” Badlan says. “When he decides he’ll do one thing, he is the kind that may do it. He went away that summer time nearly as a person on a mission. He did not know the place his future can be at Brighton, we needed to signal him however possibly he thought he may get one thing else — and whereas his agent did the work he wanted, Viktor’s focus was ‘proper, wherever I find yourself, I’ll make this all about me.’
“He labored on his strengths. He was already a robust runner however rapidly in his shoulders, he bought a bit extra sq., stronger in his core. It enabled him to roll defenders higher. His mentality is ridiculous.”
Coventry ultimately seized on the chance to signal him completely in the summertime of 2021 for a payment of round £1 million. Brighton had provided a brand new deal, however the pathway to the primary workforce was blocked by what they felt on the time have been higher choices, together with Neal Maupay and Danny Welbeck.
Coventry deserve credit score for the technical evolution in his recreation below supervisor Mark Robins, the previous Manchester United striker. The positional ambiguity gave the impression to be a metaphor for the shortage of route in his profession — Brommapojkarna declare to have made him extra of a middle ahead, however Gyökeres would both begin or naturally drift out to the left throughout these mortgage spells away from Brighton.
Lastly and unequivocally, Gyökeres was transformed from a left-sided ahead to an out-and-out No. 9 striker.
“With Mark Robins and Adi [Viveash, assistant manager], they polished the tough diamond that he was,” Badlan says. “They simplified his recreation. They labored with him in figuring out his finest attributes. He nonetheless had that tendency when he began to float into that left channel. He was nearly taking part in as a left ahead at St. Pauli.
“A part of his recreation now, lots of his strengths come from that left aspect, coming in and getting that shot. Mark, being an ex-striker, helped Viktor perceive his physique, getting his positioning proper, the place to make runs, when to get the timing proper.
“It additionally helped that the group at the moment, we’re all actually hungry: Callum O’Hare, Ben Sheaf, Gustavo Hamer, Viktor — they have been all younger and decided to get to that subsequent stage. There was a ardour in all of the gamers within the constructing. After I was chatting with gamers, lots of the switch technique was ‘come right here and use us a stepping stone, do what you could do and make your transfer from there.'”
That’s exactly what Gyökeres did. After scoring 9 targets in his first 11 video games after signing completely, he would go on to register 44 targets in 116 video games throughout all competitions earlier than reaching one other crossroads in 2022-23. — Olley
Stats evaluation
Relating to strikers, targets have a tendency to talk for themselves — and Gyökeres’ whopping tally of 63 for membership and nation final season is a robust assertion. As Tor notes, he has showcased all method of energy, approach, crafty and cold-bloodedness over the previous 12 months, laying waste to a sequence of groups. He totted up seven separate hat tips, together with one in opposition to Manchester Metropolis within the Champions League.
There are some caveats to this super feat, although: The opposite six hat tips have been scored in opposition to weak Primeira Liga opponents or poor worldwide sides; Sweden dropped into UEFA Nations League C, which means he was capable of run riot in opposition to the likes of Azerbaijan and Estonia; and he took (and scored) 12 penalties within the league alone.
Maybe, then, it is extra applicable to evaluate his influence in opposition to fellow home powerhouses Benfica and FC Porto. He met them seven occasions in 2023-24, scoring 4 and helping two; and in 2024-25 registered 4 targets and 4 assists throughout eight conferences.
He has outperformed his anticipated targets (xG) mark for 3 straight seasons and has performed so by a wholesome margin (he outperformed his xG by 6.5 targets in 2023-24, then 8.2 targets final time period). Over the quick time period this might level to some luck, however over 66 video games? It is in all probability an indication that he’ll proceed to be a prime finisher.
Gyökeres is way more than only a shooter, too. Amongst all Sporting gamers within the league final season, he completed second for assists (seven), second for key passes (61) and second for shot-creating actions (154). He additionally topped the workforce for progressive carries (133), highlighting his capacity to obtain the ball deep and drive up the sector. — Sam Tighe
Elevate off at Sporting
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Nicol: Viktor Gyökeres instantly makes Arsenal higher
Steve Nicol reacts to the potential signing of Viktor Gyökeres to fill Arsenal’s striker spot.
There was an acceptance at Coventry that Gyökeres would ultimately depart.
“He rang me earlier than the summer time [2023] when he knew he was probably going to be leaving,” Badlan says. “He stated to me: I solely need to go to the Bundesliga, Portugal, Italy, Spain or Premier League. If anyone else rings you, I am not going. He nearly had his profession mapped out in his thoughts.”
Sources have advised ESPN that a number of Premier League golf equipment, together with Everton, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, confirmed various ranges of curiosity in Gyökeres, however his desire was to affix Sporting.
His scoring type in Portugal has led some to query why greater golf equipment did not take a punt on the €20 million payment (plus €4 million in add-ons) which Coventry have been demanding, however that is simple to say in hindsight. On the time, Gyökeres had just one 12 months remaining on his Coventry contract, however proprietor Doug King was steadfast in his valuation. The participant’s camp considered Sporting an applicable subsequent step, finishing a deal which noticed Brighton obtain a substantial share of the payment.
“Individuals say he’s the one which bought away, but it surely wasn’t a foul return for a participant who by no means performed a Premier League recreation for us,” a supply near Brighton advised ESPN.
It’s no exaggeration to counsel Gyökeres shocked everyone together with his goal-scoring prowess at Sporting. In his first season, he scored a staggering 43 targets and registered 15 assists from 50 video games.
Former Portugal worldwide middle again Daniel Carriço got here by means of the youth ranks throughout a 13-year keep at Sporting and stays carefully linked to the membership following his retirement final 12 months. He believes Gyökeres’ relationship with former head coach Amorim was pivotal.
“Gyökeres improved not solely as a participant, however Ruben has lots of dynamics as a coach, desirous to play with the ball, and Gyökeres was like a brand new weapon for him,” Carriço tells ESPN. “Earlier than he arrived, Sporting weren’t so sturdy within the area, and Gyökeres gave that high quality to Ruben Amorim’s squad.
“He was the largest weapon in opposition to all of the groups and Ruben liked to have him in his first XI. Amorim improved his recreation in all of the methods, not solely bodily, however technically he improved loads. He is aware of find out how to transfer and beat defenders.”
Gyökeres’ second season at Sporting surpassed even the primary, with 54 targets and 13 assists from his 52 video games in all competitions. Switch rumors have been by no means far-off and, with Amorim heading to Manchester United, it appeared {that a} transfer for a payment of round his €100 million launch clause would symbolize good worth. However United have been overwhelmed to the punch by Arsenal, and with out having to go so far as triggering the clause.
“The gamers which might be leaving the Portuguese league now, you’re looking at €40 million to €60 million for lots of the gamers who depart,” Badlan says. “So a striker together with his aim report — and he is doing it on the worldwide stage — it’s the place soccer has gone. You get common gamers going for €30 million now. Within the present market, that’s the going worth for a striker who has the targets he is bought, particularly now he is scoring for Sweden. You set him anyplace; he scores targets.” — Olley
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Burley: Gyökeres signing places Arteta below stress
Craig Burley and the ESPN FC crew talk about Viktor Gyökeres’ potential hyperlink with Arsenal.
How he’ll match at Arsenal
Clearly, Arteta calls for way over simply targets from his strikers — they want to have the ability to press, to hyperlink play, to maneuver large and to contribute in each section. From Alexandre Lacazette to Gabriel Jesus to Kai Havertz, every of the Spaniard’s decisions at No. 9 have been purposeful in addition to threatening (to various levels of success).
Gyökeres has confirmed himself properly able to hitting this form of transient, which makes him a powerful match for the function and a good selection by new sporting director Andrea Berta.
The Swede performs with depth and aggression — it borders on anger at occasions — as he jostles and fights with defenders, rolls his markers and finds area in behind the defensive position. He has a surprisingly sturdy dash capability for somebody so huge and also can act as a back-to-goal focus. These glorious bodily traits carry him proper in keeping with lots of the Gunners’ different current recruits, as Arteta continues to key in on constructing an imposing squad that bullies as a lot because it thrills.
Arsenal’s intelligent, goal-scoring large forwards will take pleasure in taking part in off Gyökeres and mixing with him, as he is the kind to occupy a number of defenders’ attentions — and thus probably creating openings elsewhere. His introduction will probably cut back the variety of possibilities they get general, although, as like all prime strikers, he is desirous to shoot and shoulder the duty of profitable video games himself. — Tighe