Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is delighted to have Viktor Gyokeres in his squad.
It was no secret that the Gunners’ biggest priority in this window was to sign a new striker after struggling without a prolific goalscorer for over three years.
Arsenal were heavily linked with a move to sign Benjamin Sesko, but they ended up pushing for Gyokeres instead after weighing up both deals.
Arteta has now revealed why he made that decision.
What Viktor Gyokeres said that convinced Mikel Arteta to sign him for Arsenal
Mikel Arteta is very selective when it comes to transfers.
The Arsenal manager likes to know everything about a potential target before he makes a decision about signing him.
That was the case again when Andrea Berta identified Viktor Gyokeres for Arsenal. Arteta held a ‘Zoom call’ with the Swede to know everything about him.
During an interview with Men in Blazers, Arteta was asked what sort of data convinced him to sign Gyokeres ahead of his other targets.
The Spaniard revealed that the striker said three words during their meeting, and that made up his mind.
He said: “The best data was my first Zoom call with him. That was the best data. I told him the idea that I had, and I wanted to just look at his reaction – ‘Coming to Arsenal, imagine yourself putting that shirt on, walking into a dressing room with the expectation around you. How do you handle it?'”
Arteta then explained Gyokeres’ response: “Eyes open like this (wide) – ‘That’s my dream!’
“So that’s the best data, because you can have all the data, but this guy has to come in that dressing room, with that pressure, in that league, and that, for me, was the most important data.
“The other data I knew is how this guy is going to behave when he comes on that pitch – with that security, with that dominance and with that arrogance, almost to say: ‘Don’t worry, I will do it’.”
Viktor Gyokeres celebrates after scoring for Arsenal
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Viktor Gyokeres has the chance to become an instant hero at Arsenal
Arsenal fans have seen Gyokeres a few times in action in pre-season, most recently against Athletic Club in the Emirates Cup.
The Sweden international was brilliant in that game, but his first test at Arsenal will come against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Gyokeres will not just be facing one of Arsenal’s most historic rivals; he will also come up against the manager who made him a superstar at Sporting CP, Ruben Amorim.
To add more drama, the striker Arsenal originally wanted to sign, Sesko, is expected to lead the Manchester United line.
If Gyokeres steps up, scores and fires Arsenal to a win against the Red Devils, he will become an instant hero to Arsenal fans.