Viktor Gyokeres Sporting CP
Manchester United are just days away from one of their most important fixtures of the season, the Europa League final against fellow Premier League underperformers Tottenham Hotspur. With both teams languishing in 16th and 17th place respectively, the clash carries massive stakes: a ticket to next season’s Champions League.
The implications of the same could be far-reaching for either team, especially in their transfer ambitions. Man Utd for sure will know the importance of how having CL football will help them attract a crop of talent this summer that they won’t be able to otherwise.
Among those many names that the Red Devils are interested in, one name near the top of their wish list is former Ruben Amorim protege and Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish striker has turned heads with his exploits in the Portuguese league and is set to be a hot commodity this summer.
Arsenal vs Man Utd face-off?
Arsenal are another club interested in signing Gyokeres this upcoming summer and as per Caught Offside, Man Utd are preparing an offer to sign the the 26-year-old striker and pip the Gunners in the process.
Gyokeres has been putting in some elite numbers for quite some time now. The 26-year-old has played 50 games for Sporting CP across all competitions, scoring 52 goals and providing 13 assists this season. If that doesn’t warrant a £55-£70m move, not sure what does!
There is an age-old adage that goes: Numbers don’t tell the whole story. That said, numbers don’t lie either. Comparing Gyokeres to the other strikers in the top-7 leagues in the world, here is how he ranks as per stats from DataMB.
1st in Goals
1st in Expected Goals (xG)
1st in Goals + Assists
1st in xG + xA (expected goals + expected assists)
2nd in Touches in the Box
2nd in Dribbles per 100 Touches
3rd in Shots
3rd in Shots on Target
4th in Non-penalty Goals
We could keep going on… No matter how you slice the data, Gyokeres is dominating every key metric that matters in the final third. A relentless finisher, a creator, and a nightmare for defenders: he’s not just in form; he’s in elite company.
A radar chart of Viktor Gyokeres this season. (Source: DataMB)
Just what Man United need
One look at the below image that shows Gyokeres in comparison to Man Utd’s strikers: Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee and you can see exactly what the Red Devils are missing. It also tells you why the Portuguese league striker is the ideal solution.
Comparing Viktor Gyokeres to Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. (Source: DataMB)
Rasmus Hojlund, to put it very respectfully, is limited. He doesn’t get close to Gyokeres in any metric that defines a striker. Meanwhile, Zirkzee’s numbers show exactly why he is not an out-and-out striker but someone who plays deeper.
Ultimately, goals win you games. Except for Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro in recent times, Man Utd have found goals very hard to come by. When the strikers don’t score goals, there isn’t much the rest of the team can do and Amorim needs to fix this situation.
With Champions League football on the line, the outcome of the final could dictate whether United can realistically land him. The Ruben Amorim connection might just give them an edge, but if they fail to qualify for Europe’s top tier, Arsenal or another club could swoop in.
For Manchester United, the stakes on and off the pitch have never been higher. Now it’s a question of whether they can deliver when it matters most.