In a victory for both Arsenal fans and those who read transfer gossip each day, the long summer chase of Viktor Gyökeres is finally over.
The former Coventry centre-forward arrives for an initial €63.5m from Sporting CP, which can rise to €73.5m.
So, what impact will the 27-year-old have in Fantasy Premier League (FPL)?
We’ll take a look during this Scout Report piece, including data and images from our Premium Members Area.
THE QUOTES
“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.” – Mikel Arteta
“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.” – Viktor Gyökeres
HISTORY
A late bloomer in footballing terms, Gyökeres joined Brighton and Hove Albion in 2018 and quickly gathered loan experiences at St Pauli, Swansea City and Coventry City.
Neither of his 2020/21 Championship spells were full of goals. Yet the Sky Blues saw enough potential to then sign him permanently in the summer.
| STARTS (SUB) | GOALS | ASSISTS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | Sporting CP | Liga Portugal | 31 (2) | 39 | 7 |
| 2023/24 | Sporting CP | Liga Portugal | 32 (1) | 29 | 9 |
| 2022/23 | Coventry City | Championship | 47 (2) | 21 | 12 |
| 2021/22 | Coventry City | Championship | 41 (4) | 17 | 5 |
| 2020/21 | Coventry City (loan) | Championship | 7 (12) | 3 | 0 |
| 2020/21 | Swansea City (loan) | Championship | 2 (9) | 0 | 0 |
| 2019/20 | St Pauli (loan) | 2. Bundesliga | 19 (7) | 7 | 4 |
This is where Gyökeres found his groove and took his side to the verge of Premier League football. However, Coventry lost the 2022/23 playoff final to Luton Town.
Sold to Lisbon giants Sporting CP, his two seasons in the Portuguese top flight have been extraordinary. Back-to-back league titles, where he produced 68 goals and 16 assists in 66 matches. In all competitions, it’s a stunning 97 and 27 from merely 104 occasions.
It’s very rare for anyone anywhere to record more goals than appearances but Gyökeres did just that in 2024/25. His tally was better than all others in major European leagues.
| APPEARANCES | GOALS | ASSISTS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viktor Gyokeres | Sporting CP | Liga Portugal | 33 | 39 | 7 |
| Kylian Mbappe | Real Madrid | La Liga | 34 | 31 | 3 |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Premier League | 38 | 29 | 18 |
| Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona | La Liga | 34 | 27 | 2 |
| Sem Steijn | FC Twente | Eredivisie | 35 | 27 | 7 |
Gyökeres also assisted seven times last season, meaning he produced an attacking return every 61 minutes. That’s a quicker rate than any Premier League player – even Mohamed Salah (£14.5m).
| GOALS | ASSISTS | ATT. RETURNS | MINS PER ATT. RETURN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viktor Gyokeres | Sporting CP | 39 | 7 | 46 | 60.95 |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 29 | 18 | 47 | 71.60 |
| Alexander Isak | Newcastle | 23 | 6 | 29 | 94.50 |
| Bryan Mbeumo | Brentford | 20 | 9 | 29 | 117.60 |
| Erling Haaland | Man City | 22 | 3 | 25 | 109.10 |
| Cole Palmer | Chelsea | 15 | 10 | 25 | 127.30 |
Of Hungarian descent, Gyökeres is currently on 15 goals from 26 Sweden caps.
PLAYING STYLE
A direct forward who likes to use his explosive pace and power to run behind defences on repeat, Gyökeres is also something of a shot monster.
After all, you don’t score 39 goals without letting fly on a regular basis. Last season, he accumulated 103 attempts. Only five players in the 38-game Premier League had more than these.
Furthermore, his impressive 70.9% shot accuracy compares favourably with the FPL’s top shot takers (highlighted in red, above).
WHERE GYOKERES FITS IN AT ARSENAL
Arsenal’s long search for a centre-forward has lasted the best part of two years. So now they’ve finally landed one, he’s expected to be a regular starter.
Even so, Mikel Arteta is a huge fan of Kai Havertz (£7.5m) and, nthe German has now recovered from a big hamstring injury. So what does that mean for Gyökeres?
Above: Positions played, according to Transfermarkt
He’s scored 167 of his 192 goals (87%) as a central striker, but also enjoys running the left channel. Perhaps the Swede will be deployed on the left of a 4-3-3, alternating positions with Havertz.
This would give opponents something else to worry about. If they double up on right-sided Bukayo Saka (£10.0m), a quick switch of play will expose them to the threat of Gyökeres.
He’s fast, direct and brings an element of chaos that has been missing from an often system-centric Arsenal front line that struggled against low blocks last season. Especially when injuries to Saka, Havertz and Gabriel Jesus (£6.5m) built up.
The addition of Martin Zubimendi (£5.5m) in midfield should allow the Gunners to play the ball forward more quickly and Gyökeres will be on the lookout for through balls from both the Spaniard and Martin Odegaard (£8.0m).
Also, their high press intends to produce quick turnovers. It should see Declan Rice (£6.5m) relying on Gyökeres to finish off his own ball-stealing work.
WILL GYOKERES BE WORTH BUYING IN FPL?
Wherever he is deployed, this big signing has the ability to make a big FPL impact this season.
There are question marks over whether a prolific goalscorer in Portugal can translate that form to the Premier League’s higher standards. But even if his number of goals is cut in half, there’ll still be an amount that fans and FPL managers will be delighted to see.
The number of Arsenal incomings does make selecting players from Arteta’s rapidly expanding army a bit trickier. They also have an unenviable start to 2025/26, facing Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle in a perilous first six Gameweeks.
That’s why the early advice is to carefully observe Gyökeres’ pre-season progress and give him time to adapt. Gameweek 7, when Arsenal’s schedule appears to be nicer, could be an opportune time to turn to the big Swede.
