Arsenal dubbed 'desperate' as surprise raised after Viktor Gyokeres transfer

Tony Pulis has admitted he was stunned no other Premier League side tried to sign Viktor Gyokeres when he was at Coventry City - but thinks he may find life at Arsenal difficult.

Gyokeres, 27, has recently completed his switch to the Gunners from Sporting Lisbon in a transfer valued at approximately £63.7million. His capture concluded Mikel Arteta's lengthy search for a striker.

After registering 97 goals and 28 assists across 102 outings for Sporting, many regard Gyokeres as the missing ingredient for Arsenal, who have claimed runners-up spots in each of the past three Premier League seasons. Whilst the former Stoke City and West Brom boss anticipated Arsenal would eventually conclude a transfer, he remains astonished no other English top-flight club gambled on him previously.

Speaking to sports betting platform Betvictor, Pulis said: "Mikel Arteta has been under enormous pressure to bring in a centre forward and there is a lot riding on it. But I was very impressed with Gyokeres at Coventry City.

"I thought he did fantastically well there and I was very, very surprised that a team from the lower level of the Premier League didn't take a chance with him, didn't take a punt on him. But he's gone over there to Portugal and he's done exceptionally well.

"Let's see how he does. It's a really, really interesting one next year because Arsenal will create lots of chances. Arteta has given him the chance – they are a fantastic football club but they are also desperate. A Premier League title would be unbelievable for them, it's a big season for Mikel Arteta."

Gyokeres' inaugural campaign at Coventry got off to a sluggish start, as he managed just three goals in 19 outings during the 2020-21 season. He discovered his rhythm the subsequent year when he bagged 17 goals and contributed five assists, before flourishing in his final term with an impressive return of 21 goals and 10 assists.

Whilst there were some tentative connections to the Premier League, Sporting were the side who made a determined push to secure his signature for a club record £20m. They have more than recovered their investment from the north Londoners.

Last term, goals proved to be Arsenal's Achilles heel. They possessed the Premier League's strongest defence by some distance, conceding 34 goals with the second-best record belonging to champions Liverpool, who let in 41.

Nevertheless, a failure to put teams to the sword saw them net 69 goals, 17 short of the Merseysiders. Arsenal's total last season was 22 below the 91 goals they accumulated in the 2023-24 campaign, where they ended just two points adrift of Manchester City.

Gyokeres will be anticipated to be the primary goalscoring threat at the Emirates Stadium. However, Pulis has cautioned the Swede he will encounter greater difficulties in the Premier League than he experienced in Portugal.

The Welshman added: "The Portuguese league is massively different. There are similarities to Holland, in that there are three or four really good teams.

"No disrespect to the others, but the big clubs have a much higher standard of players and more depth in their squads. Those teams end up finishing at the top comfortably, and that's what will change for Viktor Gyokeres. He is going to be playing against a level of team week in week out that he isn't used to, at Arsenal."

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