Viktor Gyokeres: Arsenal's New Striker Faces Premier League Challenges

Viktor Gyokeres: Arsenal's New Striker Faces Premier League Challenges

"I don't think he's the guy," Rio Ferdinand comments on Viktor Gyokeres.

"I've watched him closely three times, and each time I thought: 'He won't get that opportunity in the Premier League.'" Ferdinand remarks.

Swedish striker Gyokeres, 27, recently completed a transfer valued at up to £64 million from Sporting to Arsenal.

Gyokeres has an impressive record, scoring 97 goals in 102 matches for the Portuguese club, along with 26 assists.

Last season, he averaged more than a goal per match, netting 54 goals in 52 appearances.

However, when linked with Manchester United, Ferdinand expressed doubt about Gyokeres being suitable for England's top league.

Speaking on his podcast, Rio Ferdinand Presents, he questioned, "Is there enough in his game, once he's physically matched, to score goals?"

Contrarily, Bjorn Hamberg, Gyokeres' former assistant coach at Brighton, told BBC Sport, "He certainly has the physicality."

Arsenal was among several top clubs interested in the former Brighton player after his remarkable seasons at Sporting, under Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim.

In addition to his 39 goals in Portugal's Primeira Liga in the 2024-25 season, Gyokeres scored six more in the Champions League, including a hat-trick against Manchester City.

He transitioned from leaving Brighton without Premier League experience to becoming one of Europe's leading scorers, with loan spells at Swansea, Coventry, and St Pauli in Germany.

How do players generally fare when moving from Portugal to England, and how will Gyokeres perform?

Do Portuguese League Forwards Usually Succeed in England?

The most successful import from the Primeira Liga is undoubtedly Cristiano Ronaldo, who also came from Sporting.

At 18, Ronaldo joined Manchester United for £12.24 million in August 2003.

He scored 118 goals in 292 appearances for United, including 103 in the Premier League, winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League, and a Ballon d'Or before his record-breaking £80 million move to Real Madrid.

Another prolific player transitioning from Portugal to England was Bruno Fernandes, also a Sporting to United signing.

Now United's captain, Fernandes has scored 62 goals in 195 Premier League appearances, with a total of 98 goals in 290 matches since his January 2020 transfer for a fee of £47 million, rising to £67.7 million.

In between these two, Nani made the move from Sporting to United in 2007, scoring 25 times in England.

Among strikers, Mexican forward Raul Jimenez has netted 59 Premier League goals for Wolves and Fulham.

He joined Wolves from Benfica for a then club-record £30 million in 2019 after a successful loan spell.

However, for every Ronaldo, there is a Mario Jardel. The Brazilian won the Golden Boot five times in Portugal, scoring 179 goals in 176 games in the league.

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce praised him upon signing in August 2003, but Jardel only made seven substitute appearances in the Premier League, with three goals in the League Cup.

Allardyce later labeled him the worst player he managed.

Jardel was the first top scorer from the Portuguese league to move to the Premier League, with Gyokeres being the latest, and three others in between.

Benni McCarthy led the scoring charts with Porto in 2003-04 and joined Blackburn Rovers two years later.

In his first season with Rovers, he scored 18 Premier League goals, just two behind Golden Boot winner Didier Drogba.

He scored 37 league goals in 109 games for Blackburn, with none in 11 appearances for West Ham.

Carlos Vinicius and Darwin Nunez are other recent Portuguese Golden Boot winners who had less prolific spells in England, both with Benfica.

Vinicius joined Tottenham on loan in 2020 and then Fulham permanently in 2022, scoring eight goals in 53 Premier League matches.

Meanwhile, Nunez has scored 25 goals in 95 league games for Liverpool since his £64 million transfer three years ago.

Will Gyokeres Flourish in a Tougher League?

Looking at the leading goalscorers in Europe's top leagues for the 2024-25 season, familiar names appear.

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe scored 31 in his La Liga debut season, Mohamed Salah netted 29 as Liverpool won the Premier League, and Robert Lewandowski finished with 27 during Barcelona's title-winning season, one more than England captain Harry Kane's tally for Bayern Munich.

Gyokeres, standing at 6ft 2in, scored 39 goals, though the Primeira Liga is not considered one of Europe's top five leagues.

The question remains whether he can maintain his scoring prowess in a stronger league. At 27, he has yet to play in Europe's top five divisions, which is likely why Ferdinand expressed skepticism.

It's notable that 35% of his goals in 2024-25 were penalties, with a perfect record of 19 successful spot-kicks.

While Gyokeres is undeniably a goalscorer, will he succeed against elite-level defenses?

"With Arsenal's attacking options, there's competition," says Hamberg.

"I think he's ready for the challenge and understands that Arsenal is a step up."

"In recent seasons, especially in the Champions League, he's shown he's more prepared than ever."

"He improves every year and usually stays fit. He's strong around the box, a good finisher, and effective in transitions and big spaces."

"His versatility is a valuable asset in the Premier League."

Gyokeres Has Previous Experience in England

Gyokeres has already played for a Premier League club.

After failing to make an impact, Brighton sold him to Coventry for a modest fee in July 2021, following an unremarkable loan spell with three goals in 19 Championship matches for the Sky Blues.

Two years later, he moved to Sporting for £20.5 million after scoring 38 goals in 91 league games for Coventry in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

While in Lisbon, Gyokeres reached new heights and played internationally for Sweden, alongside Newcastle's Alexander Isak and Tottenham's Dejan Kulusevski.

Gyokeres scored nine goals in six matches for his country, including four in a single game against Azerbaijan in the 2024-25 Nations League.

His goals have drawn attention, but it's his intelligent movement and intense work rate that also stand out.

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