New Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres has been labelled “scary” by Gunners defender William Saliba, who is excited about what the marquee signing will bring.
Gyökeres has cost Arsenal an initial €63.5 million (£55.1 million, $73.5 million) from Sporting CP, which is set to rise by another €10 million (£8.7 million, $11.6 million) if easily achievable add-ons are hit. Fans and new teammate alike hope the Swede will be the missing ingredient in the club’s quest to win a first Premier League title since 2003–04.
The club’s new centre forward has started training with Arsenal this week, but Saliba already knew what it was like to face him after an encounter in last season’s Champions League. The Gunners came out on top, winning 5–1, with Saliba helping keep Gyökeres off the scoresheet.
“We know how good he is, it’s scary to play against him,” Saliba told reporters from Arsenal’s current pre-season base in Singapore
Asked why he is “scary”, Saliba replied: “When you face a striker who scores goals, you have to be focused! But now he’s in our team and he will score for us, so that’s good.”
Arsenal have lacked a recognised No. 9 for several seasons, relying instead on wingers and midfielders to score goals. Kai Havertz has filled in, but his long-term injury absence in the second half of last season ultimately helped derail another title challenge.
“I’m so happy to have him in my club and I’m sure that he will help us to win games and win trophies,” Saliba continued on Gyökeres, who will wear Thierry Henry’s old No. 14 shirt.
“Every year is different. We have to learn from the last three seasons. Of course, we are lucky to have a chance to compete in the Premier League again to try to win. Our mindset is to win the Premier League and we will give everything from the first game. We have a lot of new players and they will hopefully help us to win this league.”
Gyökeres scored 97 goals in just 102 appearances for Sporting across two campaigns, only narrowly missing out on last season’s European Golden Shoe in a lesser weighted league. But, at the age of 27, he has never played in one of the continent’s established top five leagues and is still possibly a gamble.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Scary’—Viktor Gyokeres Gets Rave Review From New Arsenal Teammate.