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Topics: Jose Mourinho, Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal, Premier League, Transfers
Jack Kenmare
Topics: Jose Mourinho, Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal, Premier League, Transfers
Jose Mourinho has given his typically honest take on Victor Gyokeres' much-talked-about move to Arsenal as the Swede closes in on a £63.7 million transfer to the Premier League club.
It has been one of the more complicated sagas in recent memory but after months of speculation, it appears Arsenal have won the race to sign Gyokeres from Sporting CP on a five-year deal worth £200,000-per-week.
The 27-year-old, who has scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting, is expected to join up with his new teammates in the coming days, with Arsenal planning to fly Gyokeres to Singapore for their pre-season tour.
Since joining Sporting from Championship side Coventry in 2023 for around £21 million, Gyokores has become one of Europe's deadliest strikers .
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But there are still question marks over whether his form in Portugal will translate to the Premier League given his spell at Brighton, where he struggled to break through at the Amex before joining Coventry for a relatively small fee.
Many have given their thoughts on the impending transfer, including Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho, who was asked about Gyokeres in a wide-ranging interview with Portugal’s Channel 11.
The self-proclaimed 'Special One' heaped praise on Gyokeres but like others, Mourinho mentioned the standard of the Premier League compared to what he's used to in the Primeira Liga.
"He’s a great player. I have no doubt," said Mourinho. "But Sporting had a way of playing very much around him, very adapted. I don’t know what Hugo Viana and Ruben [Amorim] initially thought; he’s a player with great potential.
"But in England, he’ll play against stronger teams, better players."
Mourinho also hit out at the "lies" that became part of the transfer story.
"Unfortunately, of the 3,400 lies that have been told about the transfer market, one of them is that he’s going to Fenerbahce," he said. "Unfortunately, so many lies, so much interest, so many people working for agents, for clubs."
He added: "It’s a war that’s not my own."
Anders Limpar, who played for Arsenal between 1990 and 1994, has predicted how many goals the Swede will score in his debut campaign in North London.
"I know that pretty much all the Arsenal players are top professionals," Limpar told fotbolldirekt. "I’ve been to the training ground, spoken to Arteta. He’s Mr. 100 percent professional.
"And that’s what you get from Viktor. He’s such a prospect when it comes to looking after himself, no scandals, he is a hell of a player. He’s a No. 9, and can sniff a goal chance. He’s going to be the perfect icing on the cake at Arsenal.
"And I don’t have to look down on [Kai] Havertz, or [Gabriel] Jesus, but bringing in Viktor at this moment, at his best age and form. He’s a goalscoring machine and with all the supply from the wings and from Odegaard, he’s going to score 25 goals."