Viktor Gyokeres arrives at Arsenal with a big reputation but can the prolific striker live up to the hype? Alex Keble discusses why the Sweden international could be a big hit.
It's not every day a football club sign a truly world-class player.
That’s why the fascination with Viktor Gyokeres goes beyond the excitement of Arsenal supporters.
Fans of every Premier League team will have taken note of this transfer because, based on raw data at least - Gyokeres scored 54 goals in 52 matches last season - Arsenal have signed one of the best players in the world.
Gyokeres was the European Golden Boot runner-up in 2024/25, second to Kylian Mbappe only because the Frenchman’s goals counted for more points in a weighted system.
He finished above the likes of Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane on his way to 39 Primeira Liga goals.
European Golden Boot top-five rankings
24/25 | Club | Goals | Mins | Pts |
Mbappe | Real Madrid | 31 | 2,912 | 62 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gyokeres | Sporting | 39 | 2,871 | 58.5 |
Salah | Liverpool | 29 | 3,377 | 58 |
Lewandowski | Barcelona | 27 | 2,592 | 54 |
Kane | Bayern | 26 | 2,389 | 52 |
Here’s a closer look at Gyokeres’ world-beating numbers.
Goalscoring numbers unmatched by PL stars
Gyokeres scored 97 goals in 102 games in all competitions for Sporting, hitting 43 in 50 in his first season and 54 in 52 in his second.
His 39 goals in 2024/25 were unmatched when his league form is isolated and compared to the rest of the Premier League.
Gyokeres v PL top goalscorers
24/25 | Goals |
Viktor Gyokeres | 39 |
---|---|
Mohamed Salah | 29 |
Alexander Isak | 23 |
Erling Haaland | 22 |
Bryan Mbeumo | 20 |
Chris Wood | 20 |
As well as scoring 10 more goals than Salah, the 2024/25 EA SPORTS Player of the Season, Gyokeres ranked above the Liverpool forward - and everyone else - on a number of other attacking metrics.
Gyokeres' attacking stats
24/25 | Gyokeres | Would-be PL rank |
Goals | 39 | 1st |
---|---|---|
Non-penalty goals | 27 | 1st |
Expected Goals (xG) | 30.9 | 1st |
Conversion rate % | 28.1 | 1st |
Shooting accuracy % | 72.1 | 1st |
If he can bring anything like those stats to Emirates Stadium, then the Premier League will have gained one of Europe’s biggest stars.
One of Europe's top strikers over last two years
If we look back on Gyokeres’ two years at Sporting and compare him to players across Europe’s top 10 divisions, it becomes clear he is an outlier even by European standards.
Gyokeres' stats/European ranking 2023-25
Stat | Gyokeres | Rank Europe's top 10 leagues |
Goals | 68 | 1st |
---|---|---|
Goals + assists | 85 | 1st |
xG | 53.6 | 1st |
Conversion rate % | 26.9 | =1st |
Mins per goal | 84.1 | 3rd |
His goal record over the last two years is unmatched, and as the table above shows, Gyokeres is more clinical than anyone else, too.
Gyokeres' shot map for Sporting
Better still, Gyokeres is posting elite assist numbers, linking up with an expertise that few strikers in Europe can emulate.
Gyokeres' assists for Sporting
It isn’t often the Premier League, known for its competitiveness and quality in depth, has the player who tops those charts – or gets close to being the most prolific in Europe.
In the last 25 years only four players have won the European Golden Boot award while playing in England - Thierry Henry (2003/04 and 2004/05), Cristiano Ronaldo (2007/08), Luis Suarez (2013/14) and Erling Haaland (2022/23).
Gyokeres needs to prove himself still
On the other hand, perhaps we shouldn’t be comparing Gyokeres' stats to the Premier League’s best performers.
Opta rates the Primeira Liga as the eighth-best league in Europe, behind the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Serie A, plus the Belgian Jupiler Pro League and the English Championship, where Gyokeres hit 43 goals in 92 matches for Coventry City.
Even assuming his ability has dramatically improved during two years at Sporting, the gap between Portugal and England is well known.
Darwin Nunez, to take the most famous example, scored 26 goals in 28 Primeira Liga games for Benfica in 2021/22, yet he is currently on 25 in 95 for Liverpool.
But Gyokeres is a different prospect altogether; a player who arrives at Arsenal as one of the most prolific goalscorers in Europe - and one of the most exciting strikers in the game.
Watch Gyokeres' Sporting highlights
Dos melhores da nossa história. @viktor_gyokeres 🦁 pic.twitter.com/RMTDdjQI6E
— Sporting CP (@SportingCP) July 26, 2025
He will have to earn his Premier League stripes before being labelled a world-class player, but 97 goals in 102 matches for Sporting is remarkable.
Those are Haaland-level numbers. It ought to inspire Haaland-level excitement ahead of his Premier League debut.