Premier League leaders Arsenal are the latest side to be heavily linked with a summer move for Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres, who spent five years in England relatively under-the-radar until he shone with Coventry in the Championship and sides on the continent took notice. So, is he good enough for another talent upgrade or is this a purple patch in a depleted forward market?
Gyokeres’ goal glut, is it sustainable? Time will tell
- Tough market: Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Brentford’s talisman Ivan Toney have both been linked with big-money moves this summer, but few European suitors are prepared to pay big for their services
- Everton, Fulham, West Ham among Premier League sides all interested in him during his Championship spell before Sporting – who could offer continental football – swooped with £20m summer switch last year
- Coventry will earn 10-15% of any profit from a future Sporting sale, regardless of where he ends up if his €100m (£85.4m) release clause is activated or bids close to that figure prove too hard to reject
PERHAPS it’s the classic case of not knowing what you have until it’s gone or the value of patience, but it’d be interesting to quiz Brighton’s hierarchy – notoriously good at talentspotting – on why they sold a man dominating transfer headlines in recent months and almost bound for another big-money switch soon.
Signed for £850,000 from Swedish side Brommapojkarna in January 2018, the Seagulls loaned him out to 2. Bundesliga outfit St. Pauli 18 months later where he recorded modest numbers (seven goals, four assists in 26 appearances) before quiet loan spells in Swansea and Coventry the following campaign.
He received mixed reviews during his time in Rowley’s Green but nonetheless returned to the latter permanently in July 2021, then left for a club-record £20m (before add-ons) two summers later after spearheading an unlikely playoff charge.
21 goals and 10 assists over the course of an arduous 46-game Championship season rather speak for themselves, numbers he has already surpassed across all competitions with his new teammates in Portugal this term.
33 goals and 12 assists – 45 goal contributions in 37 games – are eyewatering figures for a well-travelled player still only 25 and with further room to grow.
That being said, Portugal isn’t deemed to have one of Europe’s top five domestic divisions so can his goalscoring form translate against tougher opposition?
Europa League goals against Sturm Graz, Atalanta and Young Boys are commendable in their own right, but what happens when responsibilities are heightened and he has fewer chances to best harder tests? That’s the biggest question, and one few imports from Portugal have been able to answer in recent seasons.
Andre Silva (2017-18), Luka Jovic and Joao Felix (19-20), Fabio Silva (20-21) and even Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez (2022-23) are perfect examples of this dilemma for big clubs to consider, though while it would make sense to stress-test their scouting over several months before spending big fees, they run the risk of losing out by doing so.
Gyokeres has a contract until the summer of 2028 and isn’t the only forward big teams are targeting – RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko (20) is another, having joined them from sister club Salzburg last summer. While a No. 9 by trade, the 25-year-old is also capable of operating off both wings across the front three if needed.
Arsenal’s current first-choice striker, Gabriel Jesus, has that same adaptability while the aforementioned trio are all bonafide centre-forwards. It’s a double-edged sword, given the way Mikel Arteta usually sets his side up with a 4-3-3 formation lends itself to interplay in ways their respective clubs do not as target men to utilise differently.
Ideally it would be nice to see him maintain that level of goalscoring consistency over another season or two before spending eyewatering sums on a player who has very recently just moved to a new country where the style of football and environment are much different. Whether he’s that good though, we’ll have to wait and see.
Picture source: Getty Images
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