Mikel Arteta has explained exactly why he wanted Arsenal to spend £63.5million on Viktor Gyokeres, with the club officially announcing his arrival on Saturday. The Gunners will pay an initial £55.1m, with a further £8m in add-ons, ending a protracted transfer saga to finally get their man.
Gyokeres has been handed the iconic number 14 shirt in north London, previously worn by Thierry Henry, with Arteta delighted to add a striker to his squad. The Swedish, former Sporting CP forward, is seen by many as the missing piece of the puzzle, with the club regularly urged to bring in a clinical striker to compete with Liverpool and Manchester City.
The Spanish coach outlined Gyokeres’ physical profile, goalscoring numbers, conversion rate and intelligent movement as the key factors behind the move.
“We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Viktor Gyokeres to the club,” Arteta said. “The consistency he has shown in his performances and availability have been outstanding, and his goal contributions speak for themselves.
“Viktor has so many qualities. He is a quick and powerful presence up front, with incredible goalscoring numbers at club and international levels. He brings a clinical edge with a high conversion rate of chances into goals, with his intelligent movement in the box making him a constant threat.”
“We’re excited about what Viktor brings to our squad and are looking forward to start working with him. We welcome Viktor and his family to Arsenal.”
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Sporting director Andrea Berta added: “We are so pleased with the excellent deal we have completed to bring Viktor Gyokeres to the club.
“Viktor is an exceptional talent and has consistently demonstrated he has the qualities and winning mentality required of a top-level centre-forward. His physicality, intelligence and work ethic make him a perfect fit for our vision.
“We are confident Viktor will have a major impact on the pitch and become an important figure in our dressing room. Welcome, Viktor!”
Gyokeres himself has expressed delight at returning to England, where he made waves at Coventry before heading to Portugal.
“I always want to score,” he said. “To be a part of this club and to score in this kit and with this badge in front of all the supporters, I can’t wait. It will be an amazing feeling.
“I started here [in England], it feels like a long time ago. I think I’ve improved a lot since then. Now I want to prove myself for real and perform together with the team.
“It’s a big honour to play for your country, and then to score goals for them is amazing. When I played at Sporting, I scored a few goals in the Champions League so I feel that I can be on that level as well. Now to come here to a club on Arsenal’s level, I think it’s going to help me perform even better with all the amazing players in this team. I’m really excited to get going.”