Gyökeres: From Flop to Arsenal Star. Rise of the European Goalscorer

From Championship Flop to European Star: Viktor Gyökeres’ Meteoric Rise

In just three years, Viktor Gyökeres has undergone a remarkable transformation, going from a player struggling in the Championship to becoming one of the most effective strikers in Europe. After a career with ups and downs, the Swedish striker scored 97 goals in 102 matches with Sporting CP of Portugal, which convinced Arsenal to invest 63 million euros (plus 10 million in add-ons) and bring him to the Premier League this summer.

• Finally! Arsenal signs Gyökeres from Sporting CP
• Why did the Gyökeres signing take so long?

This radical change contrasts with January 2021, when Gyökeres belonged to Brighton & Hove Albion and had a disappointing spell at Swansea City. Even those who trusted him were surprised by his impressive evolution. Chris Badlan, now a scout for Aston Villa, and formerly head of recruitment for Scottish side Aberdeen, held a similar position at Coventry when Gyökeres arrived.

“I always thought Viktor was a striker for the Premier League, but did I see him comparing himself to Erling Haaland? No, and not many people would,” commented Badlan. “But, did I think he would score goals when I saw him sign for Sporting CP? Yes, 100%.

Chris Badlan

Badlan added: “With the qualities he has, we all knew he would be a very good forward. To reach the level he has achieved, you need a bit of luck, like everyone else, but you also have to have that mentality. Viktor has always wanted to be the best player he could be, and he has achieved it.”

From Sweden to the Top: Gyökeres’s Path

Gyökeres joined Swedish side Brommapojkarna at the age of 16, where he began to transform from a winger to a center forward. “While everyone else had normal training, I trained alone on the other side of the field, perfecting something so basic,” Gyökeres said in 2024. “It was incredibly tough, but it took me to the next level.” David Eklund, scout for Brommapojkarna, recounts: “We saw that he had the skills to be a number 9 striker with his strength and ability to get open, and we started focusing on those skills. He grew a lot and started scoring goals more regularly.” His consolidation season included eighteen goals, and his farewell to Brommapojkarna was worthy of a fairy tale. “Two weeks before his last match, we had secured promotion to the Allsvenskan [the top Swedish division] and we all knew that Viktor would go to Brighton after the season,” explains Eklund. “In the last match, we were aiming to win the league, and Viktor also had an internal battle to be our top scorer, tied with Kevin Kabran. After scoring a hat-trick, he was substituted and the whole stadium stood up to applaud him, as well as the players and the bench staff. It was one of the great moments in our history.” Gyökeres’ arrival at Brighton in January 2018 seemed like a significant step, but his upward trajectory quickly stalled. – James Olley

Technical Analysis

Gyökeres had already caught the attention of several elite European clubs when he emerged as a teenager at Brommapojkarna in the mid-2010s. His performances there and in Sweden’s youth categories earned him the nickname “wonderkid”, and he was considered the greatest offensive talent in the country since Zlatan Ibrahimovic. While definition skills have always been part of his game, despite not using them consistently, the 27-year-old player has now perfected those skills. Whether thanks to added maturity or the detailed training work of his former coach at Sporting, Ruben Amorim, he is now able to score from a wide range of means. Perhaps what makes Gyökeres so prolific is his quick execution technique. When he is in possession of the ball in the area, he is excellent at mapping the immediate surrounding area and will find the target either on the first contact with the ball or after minimal adjustment touches. He rarely hesitates or overelaborates in front of the goal. Although he is right-footed, he has become very capable of finishing with his left, through power and choosing his spot, or, on occasion, through a fine heading technique. It doesn’t matter if the service comes from wide or central positions; it is extremely good at anticipating the movement patterns of defenders (i.e., where they will make positional runs). He regularly arrives on the blind side for a one-touch finish, often at the far post or from pull-back passes. However, what makes Gyökeres even more desirable for elite clubs is how he behaves when he ventures into wide or deeper areas. He can be a classic poacher in front of the goal, but he also has the long-distance speed, ball-carrying skills, and acceleration to wreak real havoc in the transition game. A relatively new technical detail is its ability to deceive its marker when positioned wide, especially on the left. When played, he often uses a feint step, or two, towards to make his opponent think he is about to control the ball, inviting him to close him down or tackle. Instead, he will spin in the half-turn without touching, taking the opponent away from the ball, turning his body to face the goal and running towards the area.

This detail is not only a characteristic that agile forwards tend to have, but it also illustrates how quickly he accelerates from a standing position, his intelligence, and impressive mobility (which should not be taken for granted in a 6-foot-2-inch center forward).

Beyond mere technical and tactical aspects, Gyökeres plays with true confidence. Scoring goals creates a virtuous circle, of course, but his immense self-confidence is also likely a product of Amorim’s motivational skills and his unwavering belief in the player. With his confidence levels at the moment, there’s an extra level of energy in his game: the first touch is more secure, furthermore, his bold touches and quick one-twos usually go well too. – Tor-Kristian Karlsen

The Move to England: Ups and Downs

Gyökeres is seen by many as the one who got away from Brighton, given the rapid acceleration in his development in recent seasons, but he is also, by definition, a kind of victory for their recruitment model that identified him in the first place. Brighton has developed a reputation as one of the best identifiers of obscure talent through a data-driven analysis model shrouded in secrecy and the idea of its owner, Tony Bloom. A Brighton source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that Gyökeres started reasonably well in Brighton’s under-23s, but the club decided that a loan path was the best route. Gyökeres spent the 2019-20 season at German club St. Pauli, where he scored seven goals in 28 games, often deployed on the left wing.

Another source told ESPN that Brighton then preferred a second loan, this time to a club in English football where they could better gauge his ability. The six-month spell at Swansea that followed was a major disappointment. A source connected to Swansea told ESPN that Gyökeres “looked lost” at times, something underlined by a record of just one goal in 12 appearances in all competitions. That sole goal came in a third-round FA Cup match at Stevenage.

When he returned to Brighton in January 2021, Gyökeres was at a crossroads. Sources told ESPN that Gyökeres had the option to return to Germany, but chose to join Coventry. “Viktor is someone that both my chief scout at the time, Stuart Benthom, and I knew when he played in Sweden,” Badlan tells ESPN. “As a scout, you need to know who the best 16 and 17-year-olds playing on the continent are. Brighton had signed him, so we followed him in their under-23s, then he went to St. Pauli and we just followed him as you always do. “We were interested in [the central defender] Leo Østigård at the same time [also on loan at St. Pauli from Brighton], so it somehow helped that when we were watching Leo at St. Pauli, Viktor was there.” Østigård joined Coventry in August 2020 and helped convince his friend Gyökeres to take a step back to the second division of English football a few months later, initially on a six-month loan, when he scored three goals in 19 Championship matches. “Obviously, I was very frustrated with what happened in Swansea,” says Badlan. “Brighton was looking for me to sign a new contract, but I knew Viktor’s agent well at the time, as I had done deals with him at Norwich, and then we had two or three central forwards injured at the same time, so we were able to show him the opportunity. Everything fit because he wanted to play and we needed a striker immediately.” Although Gyökeres started slowly, the summer of 2021 (when he turned 23) is considered a crucial moment in his career. He spent the preseason working hard on his conditioning, returning for the 2021-22 preseason as a different player. “Viktor’s greatest strength is his mentality,” says Badlan. “When he decides he’s going to do something, he’s the type of person who will do it. He left that summer almost like a man on a mission. He didn’t know where his future would be in Brighton, we wanted to sign him, but maybe he thought he could get something more, and although his agent did the work he needed to, Viktor’s approach was ‘right, wherever I end up, I’m going to make this all about me’. “He worked on his strengths. He was already a powerful runner, but suddenly his shoulders got a little squarer, stronger in his core. It allowed him to roll over defenders better. His mentality is ridiculous.”

Coventry finally took the opportunity to sign him permanently in the summer of 2021 for a fee of around £1 million. Brighton had offered a new contract, but the path to the first team was blocked by what they considered at the time to be better options, including Neal Maupay and Danny Welbeck. Coventry deserves credit for the technical evolution in their game under the command of coach Mark Robins, the former Manchester United striker. Positional ambiguity seemed to be a metaphor for the lack of direction in his career: Brommapojkarna claims to have turned him more into a center forward, but Gyökeres would start or naturally drift to the left during those loan periods away from Brighton. Finally and unequivocally, Gyökeres became a number 9 striker in every sense of the word, from a left-sided forward. “With Mark Robins and Adi [Viveash, assistant coach], they polished the rough diamond that he was,” says Badlan. “They simplified his game. They worked with him to identify his best attributes. He still had that tendency when he started drifting into that left channel. He almost played like a left winger at St. Pauli. “Part of his game now, many of his strengths come from that left side, entering and receiving that shot. Mark, being a former forward, helped Viktor understand his body, to position it correctly, where to make the runs, when to time it.” “It also helped that the group at that time, we were all really hungry: Callum O’Hare, Ben Sheaf, Gustavo Hamer, Viktor, they were all young and determined to get to the next level. There was passion in all the players in the building. When I spoke to the players, a lot of the transfer strategy was ‘come here and use us as a springboard, do what you need to do and make your move from there.'” That’s precisely what Gyökeres did. After scoring nine goals in his first 11 games after signing permanently, he would register 44 goals in 116 matches across all competitions before reaching another crossroads in 2022-23. – Olley

Statistics Analysis

When it comes to forwards, goals tend to speak for themselves, and Gyökeres’s astonishing tally of 63 goals for club and country last season is a powerful statement. As Tor points out, he has exhibited all kinds of power, technique, cunning, and ice in his veins over the past year, sweeping away a series of teams. He accumulated seven different hat tricks, including one against Manchester City in the Champions League. However, there are some caveats to this tremendous feat: the other six hat tricks were scored against weak Primeira Liga opponents or poor international teams; Sweden fell into UEFA Nations League C, which meant he could sweep against teams like Azerbaijan and Estonia; and he launched (and scored) 12 penalties in the league alone. Perhaps, then, it’s more appropriate to judge his impact against national powerhouses Benfica and FC Porto. He faced them seven times in 2023-24, scoring four and assisting two; and in 2024-25 he recorded four goals and four assists in eight matches. He has exceeded his expected goals (xG) mark for three consecutive seasons and has done so by a considerable margin (he surpassed his xG by 6.5 goals in 2023-24, then by 8.2 goals last season). In the short term, this could indicate some luck, but in 66 matches? It’s probably a sign that he will continue to be a great finisher. Gyökeres is much more than just a shooter, too. Among all Sporting players in the league last season, he finished second in assists (seven), second in key passes (61) and second in shot-creating actions (154). He also led the team in progressive carries (133), highlighting his ability to receive the ball in depth and drive forward into the field. – Sam Tighe

Takeoff at Sporting

In Coventry, it was accepted that Gyökeres would eventually leave. “He called me before the summer [2023] when he knew he was potentially going to leave,” says Badlan. “He told me: I only want to go to the Bundesliga, Portugal, Italy, Spain or the Premier League. If anyone else calls you, I’m not going. He almost had his career mapped out in his mind.” Sources have told ESPN that several Premier League clubs, including Everton, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, showed different levels of interest in Gyökeres, but his preference was to join Sporting.

His goalscoring form in Portugal has led some to question why the biggest clubs didn’t go for the 20 million euro fee (plus 4 million in add-ons) that Coventry were demanding, but that’s easy to say in retrospect. At the time, Gyökeres had only one year left on his contract with Coventry, but owner Doug King stood firm on his valuation. The player’s team saw Sporting as the appropriate next step, completing a deal in which Brighton received a considerable portion of the fee.

“People say he’s the one who got away, but it wasn’t a bad return for a player who never played a Premier League game for us,” a source close to Brighton told ESPN. It’s no exaggeration to suggest that Gyökeres surprised everyone with his goalscoring prowess at Sporting. In his first season, he scored an astonishing 43 goals and registered 15 assists in 50 matches. Former Portuguese international central defender Daniel Carriço came through the youth categories during a 13-year stay at Sporting and remains closely connected to the club after his retirement last year. He believes Gyökeres’ relationship with former head coach Amorim was fundamental. “Gyökeres improved not only as a player, but Rubén has a lot of dynamics as a coach, wanting to play with the ball, and Gyökeres was like a new weapon for him,” Carriço tells ESPN. “Before he arrived, Sporting wasn’t so strong in space, and Gyökeres gave that quality to Rubén Amorim’s team. “It was the biggest weapon against all teams and Ruben loved having him in his starting eleven. Amorim improved his game in every way, not only physically, but he improved a lot technically. He knows how to move and beat defenders.” Gyökeres’ second season at Sporting surpassed even the first, with 54 goals and 13 assists in his 52 matches across all competitions. Transfer rumors were never far away and, with Amorim heading to Manchester United, it seemed that a move for a fee of around his release clause of 100 million euros would represent good value. But United were outmaneuvered by Arsenal, and without having to activate the clause. “The players who are leaving the Portuguese league now, you’re looking at 40 to 60 million euros for many of the players who are leaving,” says Badlan. “So a striker with his goal record, and he’s doing it on the international stage, that’s where football has gone. You get average players who are now worth 30 million euros. In the current market, that’s the market price for a striker who has the goals he has, especially now that he’s scoring for Sweden. Put him anywhere; he scores goals.” – Olley

How he will fit in at Arsenal

Clearly, Arteta demands much more than just goals from his forwards: they need to be able to press, link up play, move to the sides, and contribute in every phase. From Alexandre Lacazette to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, each of the Spaniard’s options at number 9 has been functional and threatening (with varying degrees of success). Gyökeres has proven to be very capable of meeting these types of requirements, making him a good option for the role and a good choice for the new sporting director Andrea Berta. The Swede plays with intensity and aggression, sometimes bordering on anger, as he grapples and battles with defenders, rolls his markers, and finds space behind the defensive line. He has a surprisingly strong sprint capacity for someone so burly and can also act as a back-to-goal focal point. These excellent physical traits align him with many of the Gunners’ other recent recruits, as Arteta continues to focus on building an imposing team that intimidates as much as it excites. Arsenal’s intelligent and goal-scoring wide forwards will enjoy playing with and combining with Gyökeres, as he is the type who occupies the attention of multiple defenders, and therefore potentially creating openings elsewhere. His introduction will likely reduce the number of opportunities they get overall, though, like all top-level strikers, he is eager to shoot and take responsibility for winning matches on his own. – Tighe