Viktor Gyokeres and Ben White, former Brighton & Hove Albion FC team-mates, have been reunited at Arsenal after several years apart. The duo, who rose through the ranks together, are now showcasing their skills in the Premier League with the Gunners.
White has been absent since the win over Manchester United but is nearing a comeback. Gyokeres, on the other hand, has been leading the line from the outset, his position further cemented by injuries to Kai Havertz and the continued absence of Gabriel Jesus.
The pair rekindled their partnership during pre-season when Gyokeres was brought on board. After passing up the opportunity to sign Benjamin Sesko, sporting director Andrea Berta swiftly shifted focus to the Swedish striker.
White expressed his delight at welcoming new faces to the club during pre-season, including Gyokeres, who he has compared to captain Martin Odegaard. The defender revealed that he had discussions with Gyokeres prior to his arrival and provided some insight into those conversations.
“Yeah, I know Viktor really well,” White said of his new team-mate. “We played together at Brighton for a long time, maybe three or four years, and I could tell even then that he was always destined for greatness. From the moment he came to Brighton, he was brought into the under-21s group, and you could see he had something special about him at that age.
“It was always me and him going up from the youth team to go and train with the first team all the time, so we spent a lot of time together. We never really broke into the first team consistently there, but we were always on the edges of it when we were young.
“It’s funny how things happen because we both went out on loan at different places, and now, of course, we’ve ended up at the same place after taking very different paths. I spoke to him a little bit before he signed, but there was a lot going on, so I didn’t want to bother him. All I said to him was that he would love it here, but I think he knew that already.”
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When asked if he’s prepared to tackle the Swedish powerhouse daily in training, he laughed and replied: “Yeah, he’s a monster! He lives for goals doesn’t he? He’s a constant threat. You really don’t want to get in his way when you are playing against him, because he’ll just move you out of the way anyway!
“He’s such a big presence, and I think it will be a massive help that he’s already played in English football. You see a lot of people come to the Premier League and they’ve had no taste of what it’s like, and it can be a struggle.
“But for Viktor, he’s well used to it. He played at Coventry, and I played loads of games with him at Brighton. So he’s seen it, he knows what it’s going to be like and what to expect from the defenders.
“I can’t say a bad word about him, to be honest. He’s one of the most professional trainers I’ve ever seen; he’s right up there with Martin Odegaard in that respect. It’s great that we have these players coming in, because all this competition for places makes people lift their standards and it makes everyone better.”