Latest news with #ex-Coventry
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Mikel Arteta explains why Arsenal were so determined to finally complete Viktor Gyokeres deal
Viktor Gyokeres has sealed his move to Arsenal as the Gunners completed a deal £63.7million to finally land Mikel Arteta a goalscorer and continue a busy summer of business Mikel Arteta has lauded the signing of Viktor Gyokeres after Arsenal confirmed the £63.7million transfer. The Sweden international has signed a long term deal with the Gunners after participating in one of the transfer sagas of the summer. Gyokeres, 27, went on strike in order to try force Sporting CP into accepting a lower transfer fee that he claimed they had agreed today. This led to the Portuguese club's president Frederico Verandas releasing a stunning statement saying he would not be blackmailed. Ultimately, Gyokeres' agent Hasan Cetinkaya — a key figure in the disagreement — decided to waive his fee so that Arsenal could come to an agreement with Sporting. But Gyokeres offers the north London side something they have seemingly lacked for much of Arteta's tenure in charge — a goalscorer. The ex-Coventry and Brighton forward bagged 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting and Arsenal will hope he can replicate that kind of form in the Premier League. "We're absolutely delighted to welcome Viktor Gyökeres to the club," Arteta said. "The consistency he has shown in his performances and availability have been outstanding, and his goal contributions speak for themselves. '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. 'We're excited about what Viktor brings to our squad and are looking forward to start working with him. We welcome Viktor and his family to Arsenal." Sporting director Andrea Berta offered a similar number of superlatives for their new signing. The Italian outlined three areas that makes Gyokeres an ideal addition to Arsenal's vision and believes the forward will have an impact on and off the pitch. "We are so pleased with the excellent deal we have completed to bring Viktor Gyökeres to the club," he said. "Viktor is an exceptional talent and has consistently demonstrated he has the qualities and winning mentality required of a top-level centre-forward. His physicality, intelligence and work ethic make him a perfect fit for our vision. 'We are confident Viktor will have a major impact on the pitch and become an important figure in our dressing room. Welcome, Viktor!'
Scottish Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Sol Campbell claims one striker might not be enough to turn Arsenal into champions ahead of Viktor Gyokeres transfer
SOL CAMPBELL claims Viktor Gyokeres' arrival might not be enough to turn Arsenal into champions. The Gunners legend, 50, says his former club 'need TWO strikers' to turn them into top dogs. 3 Arsenal have been working on bringing in striker Viktor Gyokeres for weeks Credit: Getty 3 Arsenal legend Sol Campbell thinks his arrival still might not be enough Credit: Getty Ex-England defender Campbell lifted the title twice for the North London club and was part of the Invincibles squad - the last Arsenal team to win the Premier League. Arteta lifted the FA Cup in his first season in charge five years ago and has led them to runners-up spot in the top-flight for three consecutive seasons. Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke and Christian Norgaard are already on board and Gyokeres looks set to join and finally fill the striker void. Many believe this could be Arteta's year - though Campbell, speaking exclusively to The Sun via betting site BetSelect, insists they still need more firepower to go with the ex-Coventry hotshot. He said: 'You need two strikers to trouble other teams. You can't always rely on just one striker as if he gets injured, the team's performance drops. 'So it's important to have a main one and have another really good backup. Sometimes they can play together, sometimes one's on the bench and the other comes on. It can be good to get a slightly older one who's been there, seen it, and done it, and can come on when you need something to happen for 20 minutes, but they're top, top quality. 'If you pick the second striker properly, they can come on to make a difference. That's something you have to do. So if they do get two strikers, they could definitely become champions. 'That's the type of player who has been missing, somebody who has scored 20-25 goals just in the league. It's okay to say, 'he's got all of these goals in all of these competitions,' but that's not good enough; that's not going to win you the Premier League. You need goals to get you over the line and make up point differences.' BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Campbell also backed Arteta to eventually 'get his moment' and lead the Gunners back to glory. He said: 'Deep down, the players want to win for him. He's desperate to win something. He's doing everything in his power to get that right mentality and that right set of players. He's probably thinking now, 'we've got one chance to do it'. This is the year he'll feel like he's got the right materials and the right players. Declan Rice and the Arsenal squad thank fans for coming out at Singapore match 'He'll get his moment, but when those moments come, he needs the players on the pitch to do the job, whether that's a big save or a big goal in a big game. 'Arteta wants to win something. He knows this team needs to win something. If you get the right centre forward and get everything clicking together, Arsenal have a great chance. 'Every time a player is on the pitch, he has to play his best. You have to be up for it, and he's getting that team together. He's doing the right things and creating the right environment to win.' Campbell is also delighted to see Arsenal getting their transfer business done early. ARSENAL TRANSFER NEWS LIVE: All the latest rumours from the Emirates He added: 'It's so important to get the players that you want in. They get a good pre-season and a good month to settle in, and you really start to form that mentality. 'That's when you begin to think - we've got a good squad here, we've got a chance, if you give us the chance, we're going to take it. 'If you've got the right mentality and the right chemistry in the team, they will keep going and want to win. 'The truth is, if you haven't won anything, it's going to be hard to win your first one. Really hard. If you haven't won it, how do you build that confidence to win? Sometimes you need winners. Sometimes you might need to buy a couple of winners. Even a player who's won something in another country. They know what it takes to be a winner.'
The Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Sol Campbell claims one striker might not be enough to turn Arsenal into champions ahead of Viktor Gyokeres transfer
SOL CAMPBELL claims Viktor Gyokeres' arrival might not be enough to turn Arsenal into champions. The Gunners legend, 50, says his former club 'need TWO strikers' to turn them into top dogs. 2 2 Ex-England defender Campbell lifted the title twice for the North London club and was part of the Invincibles squad - the last Arsenal team to win the Premier League. Arteta lifted the FA Cup in his first season in charge five years ago and has led them to runners-up spot in the top-flight for three consecutive seasons. Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke and Christian Norgaard are already on board and Gyokeres looks set to join and finally fill the striker void. Many believe this could be Arteta's year - though Campbell, speaking exclusively to The Sun via betting site BetSelect, insists they still need more firepower to go with the ex-Coventry hotshot. He said: 'You need two strikers to trouble other teams. You can't always rely on just one striker as if he gets injured, the team's performance drops. 'So it's important to have a main one and have another really good backup. Sometimes they can play together, sometimes one's on the bench and the other comes on. It can be good to get a slightly older one who's been there, seen it, and done it, and can come on when you need something to happen for 20 minutes, but they're top, top quality. 'If you pick the second striker properly, they can come on to make a difference. That's something you have to do. So if they do get two strikers, they could definitely become champions. 'That's the type of player who has been missing, somebody who has scored 20-25 goals just in the league. It's okay to say, 'he's got all of these goals in all of these competitions,' but that's not good enough; that's not going to win you the Premier League. You need goals to get you over the line and make up point differences.' Campbell also backed Arteta to eventually 'get his moment' and lead the Gunners back to glory. He said: 'Deep down, the players want to win for him. He's desperate to win something. He's doing everything in his power to get that right mentality and that right set of players. He's probably thinking now, 'we've got one chance to do it'. This is the year he'll feel like he's got the right materials and the right players. Declan Rice and the Arsenal squad thank fans for coming out at Singapore match 'He'll get his moment, but when those moments come, he needs the players on the pitch to do the job, whether that's a big save or a big goal in a big game. 'Arteta wants to win something. He knows this team needs to win something. If you get the right centre forward and get everything clicking together, Arsenal have a great chance. 'Every time a player is on the pitch, he has to play his best. You have to be up for it, and he's getting that team together. He's doing the right things and creating the right environment to win.' Campbell is also delighted to see Arsenal getting their transfer business done early. He added: 'It's so important to get the players that you want in. They get a good pre-season and a good month to settle in, and you really start to form that mentality. 'That's when you begin to think - we've got a good squad here, we've got a chance, if you give us the chance, we're going to take it. 'If you've got the right mentality and the right chemistry in the team, they will keep going and want to win. 'The truth is, if you haven't won anything, it's going to be hard to win your first one. Really hard. If you haven't won it, how do you build that confidence to win? Sometimes you need winners. Sometimes you might need to buy a couple of winners. Even a player who's won something in another country. They know what it takes to be a winner.'
Daily Mirror
20-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd 'close to hijacking Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal transfer' with sensational late bid
Viktor Gyokeres had looked set to join Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon, but a hitch in negotiations opened the door for Manchester United, who have made a late effort to sign him Arsenal's failure to agree terms with Sporting Lisbon for Viktor Gyokeres could come back to bite them after Manchester United made a last-gasp attempt to hijack the deal. The Gunners have been in negotiations with Sporting for some time over the structure of the transfer fee for Gyokeres and may have left the door open for their Premier League rivals. Gyokeres is desperate to leave Sporting in the summer transfer window and things have got increasingly bitter between the Swedish striker and his current employers. After threatening to go on strike, the ex-Coventry player appeared to have got his wish when Arsenal chose him over Benjamin Sesko. It emerged last weekend that Arsenal and Sporting had verbally agreed a deal in principle worth an initial £55million plus £8.6m in add-ons and bonuses. However, continued discussions involving Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta and Sporting chiefs have so far failed to yield a full agreement. The sticking point is the way the deal is structured and the delays have meant that Arsenal have been unable to sign Gyokeres in time for their pre-season tour of Asia. While this appeared to simply be a bump in the road on Gyokeres' way to north London, it could now become something more serious, with Portuguese media dropping a bombshell on Sunday. SIC now reports that Arsenal's deal is 'increasingly at risk'. They say Arsenal's fixed offer is set at €63.5m (£55m), which rises to €70m (£60m) because Gyokeres' agent waived his €6.5m (£5.6m) commission. And that rigid structure is not acceptable for Sporting. Record, meanwhile, says United have now dropped a new bid on the table which is worth between €70-80million (£60-69m). The newspaper notes that Gyokeres - who played under Ruben Amorim at Sporting - still only wants to join Arsenal, but it is still a curveball in the transfer saga. The 27-year-old is under contract with Sporting until June 2028 and Sporting president Federico Varandas has been happy to play hard ball in negotiations – and make his stance plain in public. 'If they don't want to pay Viktor's fair market value, we're very comfortable with that for the next three years," he said recently. "This strategy is also making it more complicated for the player to leave. Nobody is above the interests of the club. Whoever they are. We're calm. Everything will be resolved with the market closing, a hefty fine and an apology to the group.' Gyokeres has indeed refused to report for pre-season training to incur a fine. "One thing you should already know is me better," Varandas previously stated. "Threats, blackmail and insults don't work with me. "I can guarantee that Viktor Gyökeres will not leave for €60m+10m because I never promised him that. This game that the agent is playing only makes the situation worse. To this day, Sporting has not had an offer for Viktor Gyökeres, neither today nor last season."
Daily Mirror
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Gyokeres facing 'hefty fine' after going AWOL to force through Arsenal transfer
Viktor Gyokeres will face a 'hefty fine' for his actions in going AWOL from a pre-season camp to try and force through his transfer to Arsenal, as the Gunners watch on Sporting CP will punish Viktor Gyokeres after he snubbed their pre-season training camp in the Algarve in his latest bid to push through a £69million move to Arsenal. The Sporting squad departed the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo at around 5:35pm local time for Lagos, near Faro without their talismanic goalscorer, who's now facing disciplinary action after opting to remain in Sweden with his family. Sporting's players were asked to report at 4:30pm but unsurprisingly, Gyokeres did not show, nor did he arrive in the hour window that followed before the team bus eventually set off. Sporting president Frederico Varandas later said of Arsenal's bid: 'If they don't want to pay Viktor's fair market value, we're very comfortable with that for the next three years. This strategy is also making it more complicated for the player to leave. Nobody is above the interests of the club. Whoever they are. We're calm. Everything will be resolved with the market closing, a hefty fine and an apology to the group." Gyokeres has also now claimed he has unfinished business in the Premier League having also skipped training on Friday. The Sweden international, who has never featured in the top-flight despite making eight appearances for Brighton, said when asked about a potential return to England: 'It's one of the biggest leagues in Europe. I spent several years there without being able to play a single match, so of course, it's something I'd like to do, it would be great revenge!' READ MORE: Arsenal target Viktor Gyokeres makes Bukayo Saka admission as he attempts to force transfer Arsenal officials spent last weekend in Lisbon trying to thrash out a deal during face-to-face talks and while negotiations remain advanced, they're yet to shake hands with Sporting. Their offer is understood to be worth an initial £56million plus up to £13m in add-ons, however, the Portuguese champions want £60m up front before bonuses – a request the Gunners are yet to match. France Football 's interview with Gyokeres took place in late May, but was published in L'Equipe on Saturday to add further fuel to the fire and rub salt into Sporting wounds. Sporting are expected to speak out on the matter before the end of the weekend when club officials are poised to make their dissatisfaction with the centre-forward's behaviour known. Mirror Football approached Sporting for comment. When asked by France Football which players within Europe had impressed him, the ex-Coventry and Swansea attacker name-dropped three Arsenal stars he could soon be calling team-mates. Gyokeres, who also declared he wants to play for 'a club that really wants him,' revealed: 'Midfielders like Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic at Manchester City or Bukayo Saka at Arsenal are impressive to watch. 'I've also faced very high-level defenders, like Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, it's a chance to play against those kinds of players.' Gyokeres - scorer of 97 goals in 102 Sporting appearances in the past two seasons - insists he must now be considered among the best strikers in world football. He added when asked what he makes of comparisons to Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski: 'I'm definitely one of them. It's hard to label myself, but yes, I'm at the same table as them now. 'They're extraordinary players, at the highest level for many years, who have proven themselves much more than I have. 'What I achieved at Sporting, I'm convinced I can achieve anywhere. 'They haven't seen the best of Gyökeres yet.'
