Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has expressed his displeasure with Mikel Arteta for letting go of a phenomenal goal-scorer who quit Arsenal for free and has since eclipsed even Kai Havertz in goal-scoring prowess, amassing 15 goals and assists in only seven games.
Arsenal may have just lost out on the opportunity to capture one of Europe’s top players before the rivalry for his services gets too fierce to manage.
Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar, Director of Football at Emirates Stadium, chose to pass on one summer target due to the price tag, despite the fact that the player in question is already living up to his stratospheric worth following a remarkable start to the 2024/25 season.
Arsenal may regret Viktor Gyokeres’ decision.
Arsenal may regret their choice not to sign Viktor Gyokeres during the summer transfer season.
Fabrizio Romano stated that the Gunners considered Gyokeres to be “too expensive” owing to his £86 million release clause, telling Men in Blazers: “Arsenal might sign another attacking player. I do not believe it will be an expensive player like Viktor Gyokeres. I believe this is too pricey, but perhaps a new winger, a different sort of player who can provide vitality to Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.”
Raheem Sterling joined on loan from Chelsea, proving the Italian’s prediction correct.
Arsenal may be regretting their choice to ignore Gyokeres in the summer.
Gyokeres has begun the 2024/25 season on fire, scoring seven goals and assisting three times in his five games for Sporting CP.
The Sporting CP No.9 has also scored three goals and assisted on two more for Sweden in two UEFA Nations League games, bringing his total to 10 goals and five assists in only seven games this season.
That is a fantastic return, to say the least, but nobody should be shocked given Gyokeres’ 43 goals and 15 assists in 50 matches last season.
The Gunners should have another chance to sign the Swedish international.
At the outset of this post, we speculated that Arsenal may have missed the boat with Gyokeres, as Europe’s premier teams will undoubtedly be circling the Swede right now.
However, given that Real Madrid has recently recruited Kylian Mbappe as a striker, Bayern Munich has Harry Kane, and Manchester City has Erling Haaland, this may be manageable for the Gunners.
Another season without a dependable No.9 coming up clutch for Arsenal might entice Arteta to activate his £86 million release clause next summer, as the Gunners could undoubtedly need a dangerous marksman in front of goal, one who can take points from games the north Londoners deserve nothing for.
