Michael Owen claims Viktor Gyokeres has already made major mistake at Arsenal before even making his debut
Michael Owen claims Viktor Gyokeres has already made a major mistake at his new club Arsenal before he's even made his debut.
The Swedish striker completed a move from Sporting CP earlier this week for an initial fee of £55.1 million, with around £8.7 million in potential add-ons.
The deal followed a long-running transfer saga, which saw Gyokeres clash with Sporting's president and go on strike to force his move to North London.
Mikel Arteta had hoped to have Gyokeres available for the start of pre-season in Hong Kong and Singapore but he missed the opening two games of the tour.
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Instead, the 27-year-old was introduced to the crowd in Singapore ahead of their clash against Newcastle, waving to fans before kick-off.
He ends Arsenal's long-standing pursuit for a recognised centre forward and arrives with big expectations following a successful spell at Sporting CP.
Former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker Owen has now shared his thoughts on the transfer with talkSPORT.
Owen said: "The pressure on him is incredible because Arsenal have been needing a centre-forward for a long time now and all of sudden they've got one.
"Everybody thinks that's the missing piece of the jigsaw.
"He's then gone and taken number 14, which just adds another load of pressure on, with Thierry Henry in his shadow in many ways.
"If he strikes and he's good, then Arsenal are serious challengers again but if not, then I cannot see anything but Liverpool."
Arsenal's new number 14 has already smashed club records with shirt sales.
After his' arrival was confirmed on Monday, Arsenal offered to print Gyokeres' name for free on next season's Arsenal shirts, which is a service that normally costs £16.
The demand was so high that the club website briefly crashed.
Supporters will now hope that it will be on the pitch where he starts to break records.
Gyokeres scored 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting CP across two seasons.
He is a great athlete, blending pace and power to bully defenders, and has shown a ruthlessness in front of goal.
He arrives on the back of five seasons without a major trophy for Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
They have finished second in the Premier League for the last three years and demolished Real Madrid in the Champions League but have consistently fallen short in the biggest games.
After another big outlay in the window, Arteta and Gyokeres will be expected to win silverware for the Gunners.
Topics: Arsenal, Viktor Gyokeres, Michael Owen, Thierry Henry
James Taylor