Sport

Gyokeres could be an ideal fit for Arsenal

It is the worst kept secret of the upcoming transfer window that Arsenal want a striker. Injuries to their two senior front men, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, seem to have ended any hope of a Premier League title challenge this season, but fans are demanding an upgrade in order to push on next year.

The man they really want is Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak. He has scored 23 goals in all competitions this season, including in the 2-1 Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool, and is arguably the most wanted man in Europe right now. But with three years to run on his contract at St James’ Park and a minimum fee of £150m for the Magpies to even consider a sale, it could prove difficult for anyone to secure his services. In fact, Newcastle will open talks over a new deal, meaning the Gunners, Liverpool and others likely need to look elsewhere.

Even if anyone can afford Isak, the Profit and Sustainability implications of a signing on that scale would make further additions, which all those clubs need, extremely difficult. Reports this week suggest Arsenal are not looking too far from Isak for an alternative, with new Sporting Director Andrea Berta ramping interest up in his Sweden teammate Viktor Gyokeres. The 26-year-old has had an incredible season with Sporting CP in Portugal, scoring 30 league goals in just 26 games, after 29 in 33 in his debut season, which ended in a title win under Ruben Amorim.

Gyokeres – said to be available for £50m – would offer Arsenal something they don’t have currently: physicality. His tall, strong build mean he is perfectly suited to English football, as he showed when at Coventry City before his move to Sporting in 2022. Some may dismiss his numbers in the Portuguese league, but it is extremely clear that playing in the Champions League has elevated him to an elite level. He scored six goals in eight games in the competition this season, including an impressive hat-trick against Manchester City.

Arsenal need somebody to lead from the front with power and precision, and that is what Gyokeres would bring. He is not a prodigy and never was, unlike Isak for example, who earned nationwide and continental headlines as a teenager. Gyokeres was a rare failure of Brighton’s extensive scouting and recruitment; he didn’t break through and struggled on loan at Swansea before finally excelling at Coventry. Some Arsenal fans may look at him edging towards his late 20s and be disappointed, but all the signs are that he is now ready to explode at the very top and his all round game has been made all the better thanks to the more scenic route he took up the ladder.

In this new, more direct era for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, Gyokeres seems ideal too. He links well with teammates and would surely compliment both Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard around him, but those who knew him as a youngster said his desire to score goals has always stood out. As soon as he gets the ball in the final third, he looks to find the space between the posts.

“I first saw him when he was 11 years old and he was always a good striker. Shooting, heading and a great finisher; he had it all. When he was a teenager he got slower and stockier; he became stronger and more physical,” Gyokeres’ youth coach David Eklund told BBC Sport in November.

Arsenal are in the market for the full package. Gyokeres may be less subtle and polished than Isak, but he is likely to cost a fraction of the price and is no less likely to take the club to the next level.