Gyokeres continued to primarily operate from the left flank for St Pauli, and racked up a respectable combined total of 10 goals and assists in 26 Bundesliga 2 appearances, finishing the campaign as the club's third-highest scorer. He also left a lasting impression on the manager, Jos Luhukay.
He ran like a racehorse," Luhukay told reporters after Gyokeres scored twice in a 3-1 win over Wehen Wiesbaden in December 2019. "I think he wanted to play for another half-hour. He was indestructible."
The Athletic reports that the German side submitted an offer to sign Gyokeres outright the following summer, only for Brighton to reject the approach under the belief he still had something to offer at the Amex. As such, when Gyokeres returned to England, he was determined to force his way into then-manager Graham Potter's plans, and he had a breakthrough moment of sorts in September 2020 when, after being shifted to centre-forward, he finally opened his senior goal account for Brighton and set up another in a 4-0 League Cup rout of Portsmouth.
"I think he has got attributes that are different," Potter said after the game. "It’s not the easiest to play up front on his own, which was the role he was asked to do. I thought he kept going, he got his rewards at the end. He is learning but he has got qualities that I think we can use. He is one of those we will keep assessing where he is at and make the right decision for him in terms of his development. But he has been good in the group and we are pleased with him."
Potter also started Gyokeres in Brighton's fourth-round loss to Manchester United later that month, but he still wasn't getting a look-in in the Premier League, with Danny Welbeck and Neal Maupay serving as Brighton's first-choice strikers. It was no surprise, then, when Gyokeres moved to Championship outfit Swansea City on a season-long loan three days later.