Viktor Gyokeres has endured a tough time at Arsenal and not been able to replicate his form from Sporting CP since returning to British football with the Gunners
Viktor Gyokeres’ transfer value is declining following a challenging beginning to his Arsenal career. Just months into his north London spell, the striker’s valuation has fallen from £65.2million to £60.8m, according to Transfermarkt.
Arsenal secured Gyokeres from Sporting CP during the summer window for an upfront fee of £55m (€63.5m) plus approximately £8.6m (€10m) in performance-related bonuses. Mikel Arteta’s team struck a deal roughly in line with his market value to finally acquire a No. 9 for their squad.
The Gunners are already contributing towards those bonuses with Sporting having been set to collect an additional £1.08m (€1.25m) from Arsenal after a pre-agreed condition within the agreement was activated. According to the original transfer arrangement reached between Arsenal and Sporting, the Gunners must pay a sum to their Portuguese counterparts each time Gyokeres reaches 20 outings in which he plays for 45 minutes or longer.
That amount is limited to roughly £4.3m, but Arsenal may wish to witness a stronger return on their outlay on the field. Gyokeres has netted nine goals in 28 outings, with only five arriving in the Premier League thus far.
The frontman, who netted at a goal-per-game rate in Portugal, has faced intense criticism for his limited influence. The 27-year-old frequently struggles to fully integrate into Arsenal’s offensive patterns, with minimal involvement, though his colleagues don’t always put him in optimal positions either.
READ MORE: Paul Scholes claims Arsenal will be ‘the worst team to ever win the Premier League’READ MORE: Champions League knockout draw as it stands and who Premier League teams would face
Arteta maintains considerable faith in his marksman for the season’s latter stages. The Spanish boss has highlighted a disrupted pre-season following Gyokeres’ attempt to engineer a departure from Sporting, plus injury setbacks, as explanations for why the striker hasn’t been consistently match-sharp so far.
Speaking last month, Arteta said: “I think so. I think the level of attention on him hasn’t changed since he signed until today. It’s normal.
“Everyone was excited to bring a [number] nine to the club, we did it and we brought a player with an incredible goalscoring record who has to adapt to the league.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook page
“He had no pre-season, the first few weeks were difficult because physically he wasn’t in his best state and he is a player that needs that to perform at the level.
“Then he kicked on, had a very good period and then got injured, but now he is back. I saw a lot of positive things in the last two games that he has done and we need to continue to understand him a little bit better in certain situations and he needs to do the same.”
Gyokeres remains Arsenal’s leading Premier League marksman, level with Leandro Trossard. Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino and Eberci Eze are all just one strike behind.
Former Gunners legend Emmanuel Eboue has urged the team to make better use of Gyokeres. Speaking to Aceodds.com, Eboue remarked: “I watched him a lot when he played in Portugal and he is a very good striker.
“He is strong, but the problem is that the wingers don’t use him often enough. All of them want to score, but he is the striker. His job is to score.
“Henry always told me, Clichy, Ashley Cole and all the other guys, that he was the striker. He needed to score. He told us that he knew we wanted to score, but our job was not to score. Our job was to produce chances.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us, and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
