Viktor Gyokeres says he decided to sign for Arsenal after the Gunners thrashed his Sporting side 5-1 in the Champions League last season.
The 27-year-old Sweden striker has joined Arsenal for 73m euros (£64m) on a five-year contract.
The move was held up because of negotiations between the clubs over add-on payments, with the final sum made up of a 63m euro transfer fee plus 10m euros in add-ons.
Gyokeres was in the Sporting side dismantled by Mikel Arteta’s team in the group stage of Europe’s top competition in November.
“I just felt it was the right club for me,” said Gyokeres. “What I heard from Mikel and [sporting director] Andrea Berta and just what I’ve seen in the past years, how they’ve been playing football.
“When I played against Arsenal last season, I could really feel it was a very strong team and very difficult to play against.
“That made me choose Arsenal, and of course all the history the club has and the massive fan base.”
The move takes Arsenal’s summer spending up to about £204m, following the arrivals of Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera.
“Viktor has so many qualities. He is a quick and powerful presence up front, with incredible goalscoring numbers at club and international levels,” said Gunners boss Arteta.
“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 starting working with him.”
BBC Sport revealed at the start of the month how Arteta’s side had turned their attentions to Gyokeres after hitting an impasse in their bid to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.
Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta flew to Lisbon to lead negotiations with the Portuguese club.
The deal concludes the long-running saga over Gyokeres’ future, after he was linked with Manchester United earlier this summer.
Gyokeres failed to report back at Sporting for pre-season earlier this month, and the club’s president Frederico Varandas said the player would face disciplinary action.
Who is Viktor Gyokeres?
The former Brighton and Coventry striker has scored 97 goals in 102 matches and contributed 26 assists during his two seasons in Portugal to help Sporting claim two league titles.
Gyokeres returns to England on the back of a season in which he scored 54 goals in 52 games, including in the final of the Portuguese Cup as Sporting defeated Benfica 3-1.
The Swede also scored six times in the Champions League last season – including a hat-trick against Manchester City.
Gyokeres made his professional debut in 2015 in his native Sweden for IF Brommapojkarna.
By September 2017, he had caught the eye of newly promoted Premier League side Brighton and agreed a two-year contract with the Seagulls, officially joining the following January.
While still playing for Brighton’s youth team, he made his debut for Sweden in January 2019 in a defeat by Finland. He scored his first international goal three days later in a 2-2 draw with Iceland.
However he still struggled for opportunities with Brighton and was sent on loan to German second-tier side St Pauli for the 2019-20 season.
It was at the Hamburg club where he began to thrive, scoring seven goals in 26 appearances.
A month into the following season, Gyokeres scored his only Brighton goal – finding the net in a 4–0 League Cup victory over Portsmouth.
Nevertheless, weeks later he was loaned to Championship side Swansea City.
He played 12 times and managed one goal for the Swans during three months in Wales before being recalled by Brighton and sent on loan to Coventry City in January 2021.
Gyokeres scored three goals in the second half of the season, including his first league goal in English football, and made his move permanent that summer at the age of 23.
During the next two seasons he would become one of the most prolific strikers in the Championship, scoring 43 goals in 116 appearances.
In 2022-23 he was named in the Championship team of the year as Coventry reached the play-off final, but were beaten on penalties by Luton Town.
That summer he moved to Portugal, signing for the Lisbon-based club for about £20m.
By BBC Sports
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
