Viktor Gyokeres has completed his long-anticipated move to Arsenal, signing a five-year contract in a deal worth up to €73 million (£64m), after being convinced by a brutal Champions League reality check.
The Swedish striker, 27, revealed that Arsenal’s 5-1 demolition of his former club Sporting Lisbon last season was the turning point. “When I played against Arsenal, I could really feel it was a very strong team. That made me choose Arsenal,” said Gyokeres. “It just felt like the right club for me — from the way they play, to what I heard from Mikel [Arteta] and [sporting director] Andrea Berta.”
The transfer includes an initial €63m fee, with €10m in performance-related add-ons, following tough negotiations led personally by Berta in Lisbon.
Gyokeres’ arrival ends Arsenal’s long search for a new frontman after missing out on RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko. The Gunners had been linked with several forwards, but Arteta says Gyokeres was always a priority:
“Viktor is quick, powerful, intelligent in the box, and a clinical finisher. He’s exactly the type of threat we need up front.”
The former Coventry and Brighton striker lit up Portuguese football with his goal tally at Sporting but soured relations with the club this summer by skipping pre-season, prompting disciplinary threats from Sporting’s president Frederico Varandas.
Despite that, Arsenal remained undeterred, making Gyokeres their sixth summer signing and pushing their total transfer spend to around £204m, alongside Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, and Cristhian Mosquera.
Gyokeres joins an Arsenal side that’s come agonizingly close to Premier League glory two seasons in a row. With a formidable midfield and defensive core already in place, his arrival could be the final piece in Arteta’s title-winning puzzle.
