Is Gyökeres the Missing Piece in Arsenal’s Attack?

He’s here, it’s happened – Arsenal have finally signed the striker they have been ever so desperate for.

That ‘striker’ being none other than Viktor Gyökeres, having signed for the Gunners on five-year contract, worth approximately €63.5 million plus add ons from Portuguese side Sporting CP.

Gyökeres has rapidly become one of Europe’s footballing diamonds, scoring goals for fun and catching the eyes of the continent’s most prominent forces.

Now, the Swede will attempt to entertain the Premier League and fill the final piece of Arsenal’s puzzle in their quest for title glory.

What is Gyökeres’ Backstory?

Believe it or not, this will not be the Swede’s first time playing Premier League football. After taking the Swedish leagues by storm with Brommapojkarna, Brighton and Hove Albion picked up a 20-year-old Viktor Gyökeres in 2018, for a fee around the €1 million mark.

His journey with the Seagulls never really took off, making just eight appearances and having loan spells with St Pauli, Swansea City and Coventry City. It was the latter of the three where Gyökeres found his breakthrough. Coventry liked what they saw and added him to their roster permanently in the summer of 2021, ahead of their second season back in the Championship.

🚨 Still a bit mad that Viktor Gyokeres has already played for Swansea City, Brighton and Coventry City in his career. pic.twitter.com/n0aEV63lNe

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) June 14, 2025

Once again, the Swede only cost the Sky Blues roughly €1 million at the time, panning out to be an absolute bargain. Gyökeres scored a staggering 40 goals in 97 games for Coventry in the Championship, becoming arguably the second tier’s best striker at the time.

However, as the Sky Blues fell at the final hurdle - losing on penalties in the 2023 playoff final at Wembley - it was time for the marksman to take on a new adventure.

He shortly signed for Portuguese gargantuan Sporting CP – the birthplace of stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Luís Figo and Bruno Fernandes. Receiving €24 million in return, Coventry were not left empty handed from this deal. However, it was certainly the best move possible for their former talisman.

Since signing, Gyökeres has spent two seasons with Sporting, scoring a whopping 97 goals in 102 matches and collecting 26 assists along the way. The Swede also won back-to-back Liga Portugal titles and Golden Boots, as well as a Taça de Portugal trophy.

(Viktor Gyökeres Liga Portugal Stats 2023/24 & 2024/25: FotMob)

The 27-year-old’s time in Portugal has been absolutely sensational and as a result he has attracted the attention of everyone in the football world, including some of the most historic clubs. This leads us onto today, where Gyökeres has found his headline move.

Will He be the Answer to Arsenal’s Issues?

Arsenal have now finished second in the Premier League three seasons running. We have seen them grow and improve, looking more and more likely to reach that top spot and grasp the Premier League trophy they have been craving. However, they just cannot seem to turn their dreams into reality.

So, what is the problem? Arsenal’s squad is seeping in quality. From front to back, the Gunners have players who are more than capable of winning the Premier League. However, one thing that they don’t often display compared to the team that finishes above them, is having a pure goalscorer.

Goals do not come easy to find in football these days; we have seen plenty of teams fork out outrageous figures on a new number nine, just for them to not live up to their potential and have their confidence knocked. However, Man City have Erling Haaland and Liverpool have Mohamed Salah.

👤 97 appearances
⚽️ 85 goals
🏆 2 Premier League titles
🔥 2 Premier League Golden Boots

Erling Haaland signed for @ManCity on this day in 2022 ⏪ pic.twitter.com/4Xz8NhIRn6

— Premier League (@premierleague) June 13, 2025

These two sides were the ones to beat Arsenal to the title across the last three seasons, with their marquee goalscorer winning the Golden Boots of their respective triumphant campaigns – scoring roughly 30 goals in each.

In comparison, Arsenal’s Premier League top scorer last term reached just nine goals. 16 the year prior, and 15 the year before that. Whilst the Gunners often produce goals from all areas of the pitch, they don’t necessarily have that Mr. Reliable, who you know will find the net in any circumstance.

If all goes well, this is what Viktor Gyökeres could turn out to be.

Will Arsenal Finally Win the Premier League Now?

The Premier League is forever getting more competitive. Clubs are becoming more inclined to splash out large amounts on summer signings to keep up with others. However, Arsenal are certainly going about the right business.

Viktor Gyökeres’ numbers from Portugal are truly obscene and not too dissimilar from a certain Erling Haaland we saw put the league in a chokehold not too long ago.

Gyökeres managed to bag 54 goals in 52 games just last season – 39 in the league. With less than €70 million spent on the forward, he seems to be the perfect man to step into Arsenal’s front line and bolster their chances of a number one finish. Especially alongside the quality of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and new signing Noni Madueke.

(Viktor Gyökeres Transfer History: Transfermarkt)

Whilst Manchester City, Liverpool and even Chelsea will offer some immense competition this coming season, each of those teams have lost some key talent from their squads, making this campaign potentially the best opportunity for the Gunners.