LONDON – Swedish international striker Viktor Gyokeres has revealed that Arsenal’s impressive 5-1 victory over his former club Sporting in last season’s Champions League was a significant factor in his decision to join the Gunners. The 27-year-old has completed a move to Arsenal for a fee of €73 million (£64 million) on a five-year contract.
The transfer, which involved protracted negotiations over add-on payments, sees Arsenal pay an initial €63 million, with an additional €10 million in performance-related bonuses. Gyokeres was part of the Sporting side that suffered a heavy defeat to Mikel Arteta’s team in the Champions League group stage in November.
“I just felt it was the right club for me,” Gyokeres stated. “What I heard from Mikel and [sporting director] Andrea Berta and just what I’ve seen in the past years, how they’ve been playing football. When I played against Arsenal last season, I could really feel it was a very strong team and very difficult to play against. That made me choose Arsenal, and of course all the history the club has and the massive fan base.”
The acquisition of Gyokeres brings Arsenal’s summer spending to approximately £204 million, following the earlier arrivals of Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, and Cristhian Mosquera.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his enthusiasm for the new signing. “Viktor has so many qualities. He is a quick and powerful presence up front, with incredible goalscoring numbers at club and international levels,” Arteta commented. “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 starting to work with him.”
The move concludes a lengthy transfer saga for Gyokeres, who had also been linked with Manchester United earlier in the summer. The Swedish international had reportedly failed to report back for pre-season training at Sporting earlier this month, leading to suggestions of disciplinary action from the Portuguese club’s president, Frederico Varandas. Arsenal’s sporting director, Andrea Berta, was instrumental in leading the negotiations to secure the deal.
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