LAST season, Viktor Gyokeres outscored Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski and Mohamed Salah.
And yet because the Swedish international banged in 39 goals in 33 games in the Portuguese Primeira Liga – not considered one of Europe’s top five leagues – it apparently does not count.
Since being linked to and then completing his £63.5m switch from Sporting Lisbon to Arsenal this summer, the question has remained the same: Portugal is one thing, but can he do it in the Premier League?
Some will point to how Darwin Nunez – with 25 goals in 95 Prem outings so far for Liverpool – has struggled to make the leap from wowing at Benfica, as well as other examples like Porto’s Fabio Silva joining Wolves [four goals in 62 Prem games] and Sporting’s Islam Slimani joining Leicester [eight goals in 36 Prem games].
But for every Silva, there is Benfica’s Raul Jimenez, with 59 goals in 197 Prem games for Wolves and Fulham. For every Slimani, there is Sporting’s Cristiano Ronaldo, with 103 goals in 236 Prem appearances for Manchester United.
Ahead of potentially making his Gunners debut against Tottenham in Hong Kong tomorrow, Gyokeres weighed in: “I’ll have to adapt. But there are a lot of players from Portugal who have done even better in England.
“It depends on who you pick. It’s difficult to compare one player to another. And how they’re performing in a different league, because there are a lot of different factors.
“Not only a better league. If you play in a better team also, it makes it easier. Especially if you’re an attacking player. So we’ll have to see.
“It’s not really up to me how people think or expect.”
Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard does not share the view that Gyokeres could struggle, having already been left impressed by his new teammate’s first two training sessions out in Asia.
Norwegian Odegaard has specifically gone out of his way to bond with a fellow Scandinavian, and said: “You’ve all seen what he’s done in his career so far and especially the last season at Sporting, the numbers speak for themselves.
“He’s a very complete player, a very complete striker. He’s physical, strong, fast, good finisher and intelligent as well.
“You can already see the hunger, the energy he brings. The quality, the willingness. I am so excited to share a pitch with him.”
Gyokeres was a wanted man this summer. Man United were sniffing around with his old Sporting boss Ruben Amorim hoping for a reunion.
But having not been given the chance in the Prem with Brighton between 2017 and 2021 – failing to make a single league appearance – the 27-year-old only wanted to return with the chance of competing for the highest honours, and that was under Mikel Arteta.
Gyokeres explained: “You can always have a decision about your future. Of course, there were other clubs as well, but I didn’t feel it was a difficult choice for me this time.
“I don’t think [a Prem comeback] was always on my mind. But of course, that was an option because it’s the best league in the world, so that was always a goal.
“When I felt it was the right time, I didn’t hesitate to come back.”
Gyokeres is under pressure to score the goals that will win the North Londoners their first Prem title in 22 years, especially after choosing to wear the iconic No14 jersey.
The No10 jersey was also available, but SunSport understands that it has been earmarked for someone else.
However the Swede refuses to be drawn on comparisons with Arsenal’s all-time top scorer and 2004 Invincibles hero Thierry Henry.
He said: “It’s not really my intention to be compared with what he’s achieved in his career. Especially here.
“I just want to do my own thing and show my qualities. Of course [Henry] was an amazing player, but different from me. I just want to try to do my own thing.
“Of course, I know about the history. But to be honest, there weren’t so many numbers available. There weren’t too many to pick from. But of course that one was available.
“So when I knew that, it was an easy choice to take it.”
Arteta said: “I use the word conviction and that’s the first thing that I noticed when I spoke to [Gyokeres].
“Someone very determined, someone that was already really attached, the way he was talking about the club, the history and in this case Thierry and what the shirt represented.
“He straight away felt it, and when you feel it, go for it.”
Gyokeres’ Sporting exit turned messy, refusing to train to push through a deal that saw club president Frederico Varandas dig his heels in until the very last minute, with accusations of broken promises and backstabbing.
The Gyokeres we are used to seeing on the pitch is brash, bold and confident. A swagger that comes with the territory of being one of Europe’s most prolific scorers.
But sat in Arsenal’s hotel with the Hong Kong skyline as a backdrop, Gyokeres is quiet, reflective, even shy, as he painted a picture of how tough the past few weeks have been.
He explained: “I haven’t really been in that situation before. It’s been a lot of waiting from my side. I tried to train as much as possible by myself and keep the day going.
“A lot of days were the same kind of routine. I woke up, trained, had dinner and then went to bed again. It was like that for a few weeks, but it was worth it for sure.”
Thoughts are already turning to Arsenal’s Prem opener against United at Old Trafford on August 17, where many hope it will be the start of an historic campaign for Arteta’s Arsenal, spearheaded by a hungry Gyokeres ready to silence the haters.
Asked if he would be ready to hit the ground running after a disrupted pre-season, Gyokeres simply said: “Yeah.”
He continued: “You need a whole team that are together and play together, then you have a very good chance to have a great season.
“[Arteta] has just told me to use my qualities as much as I can. I haven’t been here too long. I’ve only done a few training sessions, but so far I have been feeling great.
“I just need to keep going the way I’ve been doing the last couple of years, to improve as well on the pitch. Try to help the team as much as I can.”
The striker has already broken a record at Arsenal without even playing a single match.
The demand for Gyokeres’ No 14 shirts has exceeded that of any signing in recent history.
Arsenal have experienced a record number of shirt sales since he joined.
Read the full article here