Arsenal have completed the £63.7m transfer of Swedish forward, Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners had spent much of the summer in extensive negotiations with Sporting Lisbon over the last two months, as a indifference over the 27-year-old’s value led to multiple offers being rejected by the Portuguese club despite Gyokeres’ desire to move to North London.
A waived commission from Gyokeres’ agent eventually allowed Sporting to accept an improved £63.7m offer from Arsenal, consisting of a fixed £55m fee plus a further £8.7m in add-ons for Gyokeres.
Gyokeres has signed a five-year contract with Arsenal until June 2030 and will wear the number 14 shirt, amidst high expectations after he netted 54 goals in 52 appearances last season for Sporting.
Looking ahead to his ambitions in North London, Gyokeres simply wants to deliver goals for Arsenal’s fans and reflected upon his progress since he first arrived in England with Brighton in 2018.
“I always want to score,” explained Gyokeres. “To be a part of this club and to score in this kit and with this badge in front of all the supporters, I can’t wait. It will be an amazing feeling.
“I started here, it feels like a long time ago. I think I’ve improved a lot since then. Now I want to prove myself for real and perform together with the team.
“It’s a big honour to play for your country, and then to score goals for them is amazing. When I played at Sporting, I scored a few goals in the Champions League so I feel that I can be on that level as well. Now to come here to a club on Arsenal’s level, I think it’s going to help me perform even better with all the amazing players in this team. I’m really excited to get going.”
Arteta explained that he is “absolutely delighted” to sign Gyokeres to boost his forward line given the Swede’s consistency and talent.
“The consistency he has shown in his performances and availability have been outstanding, and his goal contributions speak for themselves. before he moved to IF Brommapojkarna where he graduated into their senior team and managed 25 goals in 67 appearances, and was part of their 2017 Superettan title-winning squad.
Viktor has so many qualities. He is a quick and powerful presence up front, with incredible goalscoring numbers at club and international levels. He brings a clinical edge with a high conversion rate of chances into goals, with his intelligent movement in the box making him a constant threat.
“We’re excited about what Viktor brings to our squad and are looking forward to start working with him. We welcome Viktor and his family to Arsenal.”
Brighton subsequently signed him in January 2018 initially as part of their Under-21s squad before he made his first-team debut in a 1-0 EFL Cup loss to Southampton in August of that year, although he would go on to score just one goal in eight appearances for the Seagulls.
His sole goal for Brighton came in a 4-0 victory over Portsmouth in the second round of 2020-21 EFL Cup.
During his time at the AMEX, Gyokeres was loaned out to St Pauli in 2019-20 season before he spent the following season on loan to Swansea then Coventry, before he signed for the latter on a permanent transfer in July 2021.
Across his total two-and-a-half years at the Sky Blues – combining his loan and permanent spells, Gyokeres scored 43 goals in 116 appearances during which Coventry missed out on promotion to Premier League via penalties to Luton in the 2022-23 Championship Play-Off Finals.
Coventry’s failure to secure promotion ultimately paved the way for Gyokeres to join Sporting where he enjoyed two dominant seasons with 97 goals in 102 appearances, which included 54 goals in 52 appearances last season across all competitions.
Gyokeres’ goals also helped Sporting win the Primeira Liga titles in the last two seasons plus 2024-25 Taca de Portugal title.
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