Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised Viktor Gyokeres for what he's "already" doing behind-the-scenes, as the Swede gears up to face-off against his former boss, Ruben Amorim, at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Gyokeres is poised for his highly-anticipated Premier League debut when the north Londoners travel to Man United for their opening top flight game of the 2025/2026 season - a match where former top Arsenal target, Benjamin Sesko, will likely also be making his first competitive appearance for the Red Devils.
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Gyokeres
Arsenal attempted to sign Sesko last summer and in January, but that is all ancient history now, with Gyokeres coming to N5 in the Slovenian's stead after two years of free-scoring for Sporting CP in Portugal.
The 27-year-old joined Arteta's side in a deal worth up to £64 million, including potential add-ons, whilst putting pen to paper on a five-year contract and officially ending Arsenal's long hunt for a prolific number nine.
Gyokeres now dons the number 14 shirt, once worn by Gunners legend Thierry Henry (no pressure!), and Arsenal supporters were treated to glimpses of his quality during pre-season.
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The ex-Coventry City star scored a thumping header in their 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Emirates Cup last weekend, attacking the ball with gusto after a great run into the box, and perhaps giving Arteta a small taste of what's to come.
Gyokeres has been tipped as a potentially game-changing signing in Arsenal's quest to end their two-decade-long wait for a Premier League title, and nothing Arteta has witnessed so far suggests otherwise.
Mikel Arteta shares what Viktor Gyokeres is "already" doing at Arsenal
In an interview with Sky Sports, Arteta lavished praise on his new centre-forward.
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The tactician revealed what Gyokeres has "already" been doing in his first few weeks behind-the-scenes at Arsenal - explaining the one thing that makes the Scandinavian so special.
"That's the recruitment process, that's one of the things I was most interested in," says Arteta when asked about Gyokeres' choice of shirt number.
"We need to bring a player that can put that shirt on day one, walk into the dressing room and everybody says 'He's got it'. Viktor has definitely got that.
"He's got that charisma, he's got that personality and he's a really confident boy. We've seen in the first few weeks already the way he's acting, the way he behaves on the pitch. Everything is natural for him.
"When you look at his goalscoring record, we haven't had a player that has scored that many goals in the last two seasons. That killer instinct, that ability, that intuition inside the box to get the ball and put it in the back of the net is something very, very special.
"The level of threat he provides and fear in the opposition as well. That's something that's going to benefit the players around him.
"He gives us flexibility to attack in a different way, to threaten the opposition in a different way. Every time new blood comes in, something shakes and a new energy appears."
Gyokeres bagged an incredible 97 goals in 102 appearances during his time at Sporting, helping Rui Borges' side to their first domestic double in around 20 years last season, and Arteta will be praying for similar heroics at the Emirates.