Arsenal Eyes Viktor Gyokeres: Which Jersey Number Will the Star Striker Choose?
Arsenal was anticipated to have an active summer transfer period following their third consecutive runner-up position in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta's squad is on the verge of success, and many believe that securing a prolific goalscorer could be the missing piece to push the north London club to the title.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Nørgaard have already joined the club, with Chelsea's Noni Madueke expected to complete his move soon. While Arsenal supporters were debating the potential signing of another player from west London, substantial developments occurred in their striker search.
The competition between Benjamin Šeško and Viktor Gyökeres has concluded with the Swedish forward emerging victorious. Arsenal are pursuing the Sporting CP goal machine, and anticipations will be high considering his outstanding scoring statistics across two campaigns in Portugal.
Questions remain about whether Gyökeres's Portuguese league success will carry over to the more competitive Premier League, along with speculation about which jersey number the Swedish striker will wear at the Emirates Stadium.
Viktor Gyökeres Shirt Number History
Gyökeres will be making his return to English football after previous stints with Brighton & Hove Albion, Swansea City and Coventry City. Brighton acquired him in 2018 following his development at Stockholm club IF Brommapojkarna.
During his time there, the forward sported numbers 15, 17, 25 and 27 with the first team, while wearing preferred numbers like 9, 10 and 11 with their youth squad.
Gyökeres never featured in a league match for Brighton's senior side and was given the number 42 jersey. With the Seagulls' reserve team, the striker played wearing numbers 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16 and 42.
His initial experience wearing the number 9 at professional level occurred during a loan period with German club St. Pauli in 2019–20, and Sporting granted the Swedish player this prestigious number when he joined in 2023. Gyökeres donned numbers 12 and 17 during his productive time at Coventry, and wore 14 during a less memorable loan at Swansea.
The 27-year-old has earned 26 international caps for his nation, though he hasn't worn the number 9 shirt for Sweden. Instead, Gyökeres has been assigned numbers 11, 16, 17 and 18.
Arsenal Available Shirt Numbers
The number 9 that Gyökeres wore while scoring 68 goals in 66 Portuguese league matches for Sporting CP is unavailable at Arsenal, as Gabriel Jesus currently holds that jersey.
Nevertheless, there are several attractive options available at the Emirates. Arsenal's number 10 shirt has remained vacant since Emile Smith Rowe's exit in 2024, while the legendary number 14 previously worn by Thierry Henry represents another possibility for the Gunners' new striker. Eddie Nketiah failed to honor the number adequately during his tenure with that shirt.
These two seem to be the most probable choices for the Swedish player currently, with numbers 3 and 5 being unlikely options, though numbers 18, 20, 26 and 27 remain additional possibilities.