Viktor Gyokeres: The game-changer Arsenal need? | OneFootball

Andrea Berta had not even been in office for a day when the bombshell dropped that Arsenal had ramped up their striker search.

The ever-reliable David Ornstein revealed that Viktor Gyokeres has been pushed to the front of the queue. While others are still under consideration, Berta, a big admirer of the Sporting striker, will focus plenty of energy towards signing the Swedish striker.

A phenomenon in Portugal, could Gyokeres be the game-changer that Arsenal need?

Before a ball had been kicked, Arsenal were considered by many as Premier League title favourites. Two seasons of near misses and rapid progress had suggested that this may be the campaign the Gunners take the next step.

It hasn’t been the case and, while injuries and Arne Slot’s Liverpool machine have played their part, much of the blame should fall at Arsenal’s door. In a summer where the club spent just north of £100m on new signings, the failure to bring in a centre-forward was an obvious oversight.

For all of Kai Havertz’s qualities as a roving forward, the German is not a natural goalscorer. Few sides win the big prizes without one. It’s time to right those wrongs.

Arsenal have been linked with multiple options and each have their differences. Mikel Arteta’s admiration for Alexander Isak is well known, but getting the Swede from Newcastle appears unlikely. Benjamin Sesko has been a long-term target and the 6ft 5in spring-heeled Slovenian would certainly add another weapon at set-pieces.

However, the 21-year-old is yet to breach 15 league goals in a season for Leipzig and Gyokeres appears a safer guarantee of goals.

The numbers are impossible to ignore.

Gyokeres’s record since arriving at Sporting is absurd. Having never played in a top-flight league prior to his arrival in Lisbon, he’s obliterated the division from the moment he stepped foot on Portuguese soil. The Swede has surpassed 40 goals in successive seasons, including 42 in just 42 appearances during the current campaign. With 11 assists, he’s more than just a finisher.

Gyokeres, in essence, resembles a one-man forward line. With broad shoulders and a powerful running style, he occupies backlines singlehandedly.

In comparison to forwards in Europe’s top five leagues, he ranks in the top five percent for both shot-creating actions and progressive carries per 90 minutes.

Arsenal witnessed first-hand his capabilities to create his chances earlier this season. In the Champions League clash between the sides, Gyokeres nonchalantly rolled William Saliba inside his own half before charging away, past Jakub Kiwior, and crashing an effort against the post.

We haven’t even mentioned a Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City…

With every signing, there is an element of risk and there are several Arsenal will consider. Gyokeres will turn 27 in June and has never played in a top-five European league, even if a spell at Coventry City is a good grounding for the rigours of the English game.

Aerially, he also lacks. An average of 0.59 aerial duels won per game ranks Gyokeres in the bottom six percent of forwards in Europe. Just four of his 85 goals for Sporting have been headers. This season, he’s scored 17 times from the penalty spot alone, 40.4% of his overall return.

Similarly, one of Gyokeres’ key weapons is his threat in transition. A rampaging bull with space ahead of him, his pace and power can compensate for untidy touches on occasion. With tighter spaces in the Premier League, will he be as effective?

That decision will rest with Arsenal, as Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta decided on the man to pin their hopes on.

Sporting are reportedly prepared to sell for around €70m (£58.5m), a fee that appears to be real value based on the assets Gyokeres brings.

Arteta has evolved Arsenal into a team of real power and the Swede would supercharge their physicality at the top end of the pitch. For the right fee, he looks as good a bet as any in the club’s striker search.

Read – Six top-class strikers set for big summer transfers

See more – Andrea Berta’s best signings as Arsenal name new director

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