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News
- 1 hours ago
Gyokeres is no Darwin Nunez: Mikel Arteta has signed Arsenal's Premier League difference maker
Suraj Radia
- Updated: 7 Jul 2025 18:04 BST
- 5 min read
Analysis
Darwin Nunez’s underwhelming stint at Liverpool has caused fear over big money investments from Portugal but Arsenal should be confident that Viktor Gyokeres will be the striker they have been dreaming of instead of another costly flop in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta is closing in on making Gyokeres his new number nine, with a deal understood to be close to conclusion for a fee of around €80 million including add-ons, making him the third most expensive striker in Premier League history, behind Romelu Lukaku and the aforementioned Nunez after his €85m move to Liverpool in 2022.
Nunez arrived at Anfield with a strong reputation after scoring 34 goals for Benfica during the 2021/22 season but the Uruguayan has since netted just 25 times in 95 league games for Liverpool.
Current ETV
Viktor Gyökeres
F (C)
Sporting CP
Viktor Gyökeres
F (C)
Sporting CP
ETV Range
€69.3M - €84.8M
Liverpool are now expected to cash in on Nunez for a substantial loss and the transfer has been a cautionary tale to some teams who feel that the step up to the Premier League can be daunting for players from the Portuguese league.
But Arsenal are seemingly willing to take a chance on Gyokeres' record in order to add the most prolific striker in Europe to their attacking contingent, compared to a raw yet high-potential talent in Benjamin Sesko, whom they also considered.
Gyokeres has proven his goalscoring prowess at every stage he has played on and the 27-year-old is now at the perfect point in his career to make the step up and silence critics by performing at the highest level for one of the most attacking sides in the Premier League.
Gyokeres ready to continue prolific rise to the top with Arsenal
Gyokeres has scored 97 times in 102 games across all competitions for Sporting including six goals in eight appearances in the Champions League last season, while also being the top scorer in the UEFA Nations League with nine strikes for Sweden.
Naturally, Gyokeres’ record will have been inflated with goals against ‘lesser’ defences, such as four goals against Azerbaijan but the striker also scored a hat-trick against Manchester City in Europe and, ultimately, has proven he knows where the back of the net is no matter which opponent is in front of him.
Arsenal’s biggest problem with their current attacking contingent has been the lack of a consistent goalscorer, with leading marksman Kai Havertz netting nine times before his season was cut short in February.
Indeed, the likes of Havertz and Bukayo Saka prove that Arsenal don’t necessarily lack goals, they simply require a player whose sole responsibility is to lead the line and burst into the box to get on the end of passes.
Seven teams had more shots on goal than Arsenal last season despite the Gunners having more possession in the final third than every side bar Manchester City, while Arteta’s side also had the highest proportion of their shots from inside the six-yard box, indicating that the right poacher could feast from those positions.
Gyokeres has also proven to be familiar with English football, even if in the Championship, and he has repeatedly stressed his desire to brush off any doubts over his record by performing at the highest level while playing for his dream destination in Arsenal.
Compared
Viktor Gyökeres
F (C)
Sporting CP
Viktor Gyökeres
F (C)
Sporting CP
VS
Darwin Núñez
F (C), AM (L)
Liverpool
Darwin Núñez
F (C), AM (L)
Liverpool
2024/2025
Season Statistics
2021/2022
| 58 | Appearances | 41 |
| 63 | Goals | 34 |
| 16 | Assists | 4 |
| 4778 | Minutes Played | 2775 |
| 114 | Key Passes | 36 |
| 121 | Shots On Target | 55 |
| 60 | Shots Off Target | 0 |
| 220 | Shots Total | 103 |
Comparatively, Nunez had only scored six goals in the previous season for Benfica and had an underwhelming record for club and country outside of a 16-goal campaign in the second tier of Spain for Almeria, suggesting that his form when Liverpool signed him was closer to a purple patch rather than the sustained levels that Gyokeres has shown.
Doubts will understandably exist but Gyokeres’ record-breaking credentials cannot be dismissed or downplayed just because of Nunez or other expensive flops, particularly with Arsenal crying out for a player in his mould to help them elevate their attack.
Arsenal will always create chances for their forward and Gyokeres is capable of finishing chances, even if it comes at a lesser rate to his time with Sporting, and Arteta will know his team are a prolific striker away from true Premier League title credentials, with their new €80m man hoping to be a ready-made solution to their long-standing problem.
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