When Arsenal were in the process of signing Viktor Gyokeres, the transfer became so dramatic that at Sport Witness we started The Daily Gyokeres.
The gist of the drama was that Arsenal appeared to have been told they could get the striker for less than Sporting were prepared to sell for. A mini-strike, removal vans appearing, and an agent getting increasingly infuriated added to the story.
For Arsenal fans, Federico Varandas was the bad guy. The Sporting president knew what he wanted and wouldn’t budge. This wasn’t his first rodeo with a north London club, having refused to sell Bruno Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur.
On that particular transfer, Varandas later said that Spurs had offered bonuses based on winning the Premier League and Champions League, before cuttingly pointing out they’d never won either.
Another aspect which made it complicated is Sporting’s business status. Portuguese clubs have to release the actual figures for transfers, so there can be no fudge. Had Varandas given in, presidential rivals would have used it as rocket fuel.
Expectations and first season
Viktor Gyokeres
Sporting CP — season-by-season stats
| Season | Apps | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 50 | 43 | 14 |
| 2024/25 | 52 | 54 | 12 |
| Sporting total | 102 | 97 | 26 |
During his last season with Sporting, Viktor Gyokeres scored a remarkable 54 goals. Ten of those were penalties, which takes it down to a still wildly impressive 44 goals.
Replicating that with Arsenal in the Premier League was always going to be next to impossible. At the time of his arrival, getting around 20 goals appeared to be a reasonable expectation.
The Swedish striker scored 21, with four of those penalties. Arsenal won the Premier League title and got to the Champions League final, largely thanks to a goal from our Viktor.
And yet, there was still doubt around the 28-year-old. His goals last season had arguably been the difference getting The Gunners over the line, but rather than gratitude a slant emerged that he’d done his job as a somewhat gimmicky striker and now a real top player would be brought in.
Attempts for Julian Alvarez suggested there was something behind that, and it may have been better for Gyokeres had he ended up as part of a deal for the Argentine.
26/27 and a miserable start to the season
Having returned from the World Cup with Sweden, a competition he’d dragged them to via four goals in two play off games, Viktor Gyokeres was set to face a new Arsenal reality.
His game time has reduced and he’s the deputy to Kai Havertz, who has two goals in eight appearances so far this season. Such competition is surely to be expected at the Premier League champions, yet it’s the perception of Gyokeres himself which has been somewhat odd, and no doubt confidence draining.
In the Premier League, when a wave starts against a player it can often grow into something of a mockery tsunami. Florian Wirtz is well aware of that, but the Liverpool player is in a very different situation. He cost much more than Gyokeres and has delivered far, far less.
Nevertheless, it’s Viktor under a microscope and the desire to somewhat ridicule him as a footballer has travelled. Arsenal beat Lille 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, and Gyokeres started. He didn’t have a good match, and was slated on social media.
The criticism has become *a thing*, and French newspaper L’Equipe joined the pile-on by rating him 2/10. To make it clear how stark that is, it’s lower than any Lille player.
Now, the more technical sites, such as FotMob and WhoScored, rated Gyokeres as around average and certainly not the standout worst player on the pitch. But when a narrative starts it’s hard to stop and can often become self-fulfilling as mental pressure dictates.
Is revival desired or being right better?
Fans have favourites, both in terms of players and style. That can even start before a new signing arrives. This was especially the case with Viktor Gyokeres. When it was first reported in Portugal that Arsenal were working to sign the player, there was disbelief.
It was nonsense. Arsenal didn’t want Gyokeres, scoring endless goals in a poverty league. No, the line was that Arsenal wanted Benjamin Sesko, who was scoring a goal every two games in the Bundesliga.
Under many of the posts Sport Witness would put out about the transfer there were negative reactions, especially early on when it had not become apparent to nearly everyone it was a move in progress. Comments like the, admittedly wonderful, “Don’t want this bluffer unless cheap as a DFS sofa” were frequent.
When Gyokeres arrived and started scoring goals, doubt turned to praise. But it was like the doubt was festering under the surface and getting a little miffed at the same time. Ready to excitedly emerge when given the chance and say he controls the ball like he’s wearing Timberlands.
For some, being right initially, and forcing home their stance appears to override a genuine desire for a player – on the team you actually support – doing well.
This isn’t restricted to Arsenal by any means, however, it’s fair to say the club’s fanbase could perform collective tutorials on it. Crush the player and replace him with something shiny and new.
All this to a player who scored more than 20 times last season and helped Arsenal win the league… are there not limits to the player crushing machine?! Or is it a Galactus-type insatiable hunger and fate has already been decided.
If Arsenal are to retain their Premier League crown and, as they plan to do, add other trophies, then it’s highly likely Mikel Arteta will need a Viktor Gyokeres who hasn’t had every ounce of belief battered out of him.
He scored in each of Sweden’s matches during the international break. In an environment where he’s treated like a successful addition to the Premier League and a title winner.
Not a placeholder in wait of a better option. Kai Havertz can still be first choice without the need to give Gyokeres the Galactus treatment.
Crushing Viktor may be fun, and for some it’s clearly helping dilute some old grievances, but it is not in the benefit of Arsenal Football Club.
