Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, has revealed new signing Viktor Gyokeres may play his first game for the Gunners in the friendly against Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong on July 31, as long as he is healthy and Medically cleared. The Sweden international with the high transfer fee of £63.5 million, completed the signing last week and is now training with the squad after missing Sporting’s preseason to facilitate the transfer.
Arteta stated that Gyokeres has only completed a couple of training sessions thus far, but if the medial staff are happy he could be playing in the North London derby abroad. The striker has also signed a five year deal and is wearing the famous No. 14 shirt which has been touted for its Thierry Henry legacy, after scoring 39 goals in 33 league games last season Gyokeres will come to the club with a good resume as a consistent scorer. Gyokeres comes in as Arsenal’s long awaited answer to the failure of the No. 9 position with the club unable to provide a double figure goalscorer last season in the Premier League. After scoring 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting in 2 seasons, along with his performances being compared to Arsenal legends the expectations have to be high.
Teammates and fans alike are excited: William Saliba described Gyokeres as a “scary” prospect for opposing teams, and was feeling confident that he could help Arsenal push for the Premier League title. Footage from preseason training obtained in Hong Kong has already shown the striker score an incredible goal, curling the ball into the top corner with the outside of his foot, which went viral among fans’ communities.
Despite heavy suitors from Manchester United, reportedly Gyokeres chose Arsenal for Arteta’s vision and style of play, going as far as sacrificing a portion of wage to make it happen. As Arsenal intensifies their title challenge, Arteta and fans will soon be able to see if Gyokeres can live up to the hype, perhaps even debuting in the biggest preseason match in Asia.
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