Arsenal Teammate Calls Viktor Gyokeres 'Scary' in Glowing Assessment
Arsenal's latest striker acquisition Viktor Gyökeres has been described as "frightening" by Gunners defender William Saliba, who is enthusiastic about what the high-profile addition will contribute.
Gyökeres has cost Arsenal an upfront fee of €63.5 million (£55.1 million, $73.5 million) from Sporting CP, with the potential to increase by an additional €10 million (£8.7 million, $11.6 million) through easily attainable performance bonuses. Supporters and his new colleagues hope the Swedish forward will provide the crucial element needed for the club's pursuit of their first Premier League championship since 2003–04.
The club's new striker has begun training sessions with Arsenal this week, though Saliba was already familiar with facing him following a meeting in the previous season's Champions League. The Gunners emerged victorious with a 5–1 result, as Saliba helped prevent Gyökeres from finding the net.
"We understand his quality, it's frightening to compete against him," Saliba shared with journalists from Arsenal's current pre-season location in Singapore
When questioned about why he considers him "frightening", Saliba responded: "When you encounter a striker who finds the back of the net regularly, you must stay alert! But now he's part of our squad and he will score for us, which is excellent."
Arsenal have been without a traditional No. 9 for multiple seasons, depending instead on wide players and central midfielders to provide goals. Kai Havertz has stepped in, but his extended injury layoff during the latter part of last season ultimately contributed to undermining another championship bid.
"I'm delighted to have him at my club and I'm confident that he will assist us in winning matches and securing silverware," Saliba added regarding Gyökeres, who will don Thierry Henry's former No. 14 jersey.
"Each year brings new challenges. We must take lessons from the previous three campaigns. Naturally, we are fortunate to have another opportunity to compete in the Premier League and attempt to claim victory. Our approach is to capture the Premier League title and we will commit everything from the opening match. We have numerous new additions and they will hopefully assist us in claiming this championship."
Gyökeres netted 97 goals across just 102 matches for Sporting during two seasons, coming close to claiming last season's European Golden Shoe despite competing in a lower-rated league. However, at 27 years old, he has never featured in one of Europe's recognized top five divisions and remains somewhat of a risk.