Sporting star Viktor Gyökeres was at Brighton & Hove Albion between 2018 and 2021.
The striker graduated from IF Brommapojkarna’s youth system, and spent over two years with their first team before Brighton signed him from the Swedish club in January 2018.
Gyökeres managed a goal and an assist from eight games for Brighton. They sent him out on loan to St. Pauli, Swansea City and Coventry City, before selling him to the latter.
The 26-year-old’s performances for Coventry City convinced the Portuguese club to secure his services in July 2023. He’s starred for the Lions, scoring 66 goals and registering 19 assists from 68 matches of which 23 goals and four assists are from this season.
Monday’s edition of Sport had a chat with former Brighton defender Bruno Saltor, O Jogo journalist Pedro Cadima and A Bola reporter Miguel Mendes to analyse Gyökeres’ rise at Sporting.
Saltor ended his playing career with the Seagulls in 2019, and he played alongside the Sweden international at The Amex.
Chris Hughton was manger when Gyökeres arrived at Brighton and was replaced by Graham Potter in 2019. Saltor believes the current Sporting star may have excelled if he had arrived later at the Premier League side.
“If he had arrived later, with the team more established in the Premier League, it would have been very different. At that time, the coach who was there opted for a different type of player,” he said.
Cadima hails the role former Sporting manager Rúben Amorim had in Gyökeres’ growth.
“He’s a player who seems capable of destroying anything, any team, any rival, any defensive line… But he doesn’t just attack: he is also a fighter, he holds the ball well from his back and has the ability to assist,” Cadima explained.
“Rúben Amorim has had a great impact on this version we are seeing of Gyökeres. He had already done it before with Matheus Nunes, Palhinha, Pedro Porro…”
