Fulham manager Marco Silva revealed he once overlooked Viktor Gyökeres to stick with Aleksandar Mitrović, a decision that could come back to haunt the Cottagers.
Gyökeres caught the attention of several European giants after two stellar seasons leading Sporting CP’s attack. The striker found the back of the net 97 times in 102 appearances for the Portuguese outfit, prompting Arsenal to sign the 29-year-old for an initial fee of €63.5 million (£54.8 million, $74.2 million) this summer.
Before his rise to fame in Lisbon, though, Gyökeres starred for Coventry City, bagging 43 goals in his two and a half years with the club. Although his performances in the Championship were not enough to draw interest from the Premier League’s Big Six, other mid-table clubs, like Fulham, took notice of the No. 9.
“This story that no one had noticed Gyökeres, that’s all talk,” Silva said in an interview on Canal 11. “The top clubs in England didn’t notice, that’s obvious. It’s not easy for a player to go from Coventry to the top clubs in England, and at that time, he wasn’t ready to go there.
“Now, the mid-table clubs in England had all noticed, and so much so that there were some offers to buy Gyökeres, at least in those two years when he stood out a bit more,” Silva said.
The manager was one of the interested parties on behalf of Fulham, going as far as to make contact with the Sweden international’s agent.
“I ended up speaking to Gyökeres’s agent, or the club ended up speaking to Gyökeres’s agent,” Silva said. “But we also had a world-class striker in Mitrović, who wasn’t that easy to replace.”
Fulham put their trust in Mitrović, which turned out to be the wrong decision long-term. Sure, the Serbian scored 111 goals in his time with the Cottagers, but he then left the club in Aug. 2023 to join Al Hilal. That same summer, Gyökeres joined Sporting CP.
The missed transfer will remain a major “what if” for Fulham, especially if the forward excels in the Premier League when he laces up for the Gunners next season.
Arsenal are banking on Gyökeres to be the answer to their attacking woes. Mikel Arteta was forced to play natural midfielder Mikel Merino as his starting No. 9 last season amid an injury crisis that all-but diminished the English outfit’s Premier League title hopes.
“I think [Gyökeres will] fit into a phase of play that Arsenal has,” Silva added. “They have very strong midfielders and wingers, so he’ll fit in very well. In a positional attack, when Arsenal is clearly in their highest space. He’ll have an impact; whether he’ll have the same impact as Portugal, we’ll have to see how he adapts.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Premier League Boss Admits Missing Out on Viktor Gyokeres Before Sporting CP, Arsenal Moves.