When it comes to a marquee striker signing, what could possibly be better than a tall, handsome Swede with a devastating knack for goals?
But enough about Alexander Isak already.
Viktor Gyokeres may not have been Mikel Arteta’s perfect profile to bring a bolder, sharpened focus to Arsenal’s front line, but he has emerged, doggedly and determinedly, over the summer as their target of choice. In many ways, that is an apt reflection of the player’s broader football experience — a late bloomer who has had to dig deep into his reserves of willpower and work ethic to break through barriers time and again.
Arsenal have wrestled with the concept of getting value in the striker market during this transfer window and have at last agreed a deal to sign Gyokeres from Sporting CP.
Newcastle United’s Isak always appeared just out of reach, even now that he wants out, given how much he would cost and how that would impact the other deals they had to do, a mirage that Arteta could see in his mind’s eye but not get close enough to feel it was ever real. The three dominant options boiled down to Gyokeres, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, and Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa.
Each of them involved a slightly different combination of qualities and questions.
There is something outside of the various boxes that require ticking for any prospective signing where Gyokeres scores particularly highly.
He possesses that burning desire to strive with every muscle in his body. It is evident in the way he plays, the personality he brings to the game, and the long and difficult road he has travelled to get to the stage where he could join a club he values as highly as Arsenal. He wants this badly.
For a while this summer, it seemed like Arsenal, Gyokeres and Sesko were in some kind of bizarre love triangle. But while Sesko has been more stand-offish, perhaps wondering whether he was too good a catch for this fandango, Gyokeres has publicly opened his heart to a move to north London. He pushed for this and only this. No alternative would do.
He gave the impression he would walk to the Emirates from Lisbon if that’s what it took. He comes with the reputation earned from working extremely hard. On a daily basis, he commits to extra training and extra gym work to strive for his best levels.
Sesko, above, Gyokeres and Arsenal have appeared locked in a sort of love triangle this summer (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
It came as a relief that Arsenal reached a point when they had to finally decide where to throw their most substantial poker chip of the window. Even then, it has been far from easy.
As the weeks have passed, there has been a ticking clock growing louder in the background, with Arteta seeing the Asia tour as an obvious deadline to integrate a player who will arrive with particular importance. The elusive striker. A different kind of focal point. A new key to unlock the problem that dogged Arsenal last season, when they were unable to turn draws into wins.
Blossoming late tends to inspire a special kind of hunger. Famously, Ian Wright possessed it. He had all but given up on a professional career when he risked his day job for a trial that led him to one last shot at it with Crystal Palace in his early twenties. He joined Arsenal when he was almost 28 (Gyokeres is 27) and played with a feverish obsession for goals that led him to break their all-time scoring record.
The Swede’s mentality on walking into the Arsenal dressing room will be: “Bring it on. Can’t wait.”
Wright was a month from turning 28 when he joined Arsenal (Mike Hewitt/Allsport)
That does not mean everyone with an interest in Planet Arsenal feels the same. It is the nature of the global internet age, where anybody with a voice can shout strong instant opinions about any player linked with a club. Noni Madueke is a case in point and he will hope to transform opinion, as Kai Havertz did.
There is a negativity lens that impacts on the judgement of what is now a global fanbase.
Raheem Sterling’s ineffective loan from Chelsea last season is a case study for how negativity can end up justified. But Ben White, David Raya and, to an extent, Mikel Merino are recent examples of Arsenal signings that were not initially welcomed with open arms, but have turned out to be players well loved and respected for their qualities by the supporters.
Sceptics are well-schooled in constructing a pattern of why something won’t work. For some reason, in contemporary society, that is more of the default, rather than turning it on its head to consider why it can work.
Perceptions outside of Arsenal’s inner circle tend to point out weaknesses, problems and imperfections.
Gyokeres may not be the most technically clever, he may have come back to English football from a weaker league, with a recent reputation built upon scoring against less robust opponents, and he appears not to be strong aerially for a reasonably tall (6ft 2in/189cm) and powerfully built target man.
For balance, though, the positivity lens is also worthy of consideration.
He nods to the tradition of an English centre-forward, and in doing so brings some specific characteristics to the table that Arsenal do not otherwise have. He is a goal hunter. He has that streak of determination to score, to get shots away, to blast, to make chances for himself. His blastability is in contrast to the attacking characteristics of his new Arsenal team-mates. He has been prolific in Portugal and at European level for two seasons. He brings the kind of intensity and hard running that may well create space for team-mates.
Opponents might not find it so easy to double-mark Bukayo Saka, for example, when Gyokeres is haring into different areas of the pitch.
It is a rare gift in the transfer market to feel absolutely sure about a player.
Arsenal were super-sure about Declan Rice two years ago. They didn’t look around the striker market and feel in their guts that same certainty.
Something about Gyokeres has convinced them that he is their best bet.
(Top photo: Carlos Costa/AFP via Getty Images)
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