Viktor Gyokeres makes feelings clear about playing against William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes amid Arsenal transfer links

Arsenal transfer target Viktor Gyokeres has claimed Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are high-level defenders. In the UEFA Champions League last season, Gyokeres led the line in attack when Sporting suffered a 5-1 loss to the Gunners. The Swede also failed to score as Gabriel and Saliba kept him under wraps in that game.

During an extensive interview with France Football, Gyokeres was asked to name a few current players who have impressed him and he mentioned the Arsenal duo. He said (via Mirror):

"I’ve also faced very high-level defenders, like Gabriel and [William] Saliba. It’s a chance to play against those kinds of players."

According to Fabrizio Romano, Gyokeres has informed Sporting's president, Frederico Varandas, that he only wants to join the Gunners this summer.

In the last few seasons, the absence of a target man in the Gunners' attack has been evident. It has also been attributed as one of the main reasons why they've repeatedly failed to win the Premier League.

Thus, Gyokeres is expected to improve the goalscoring proficiency, which could help the Gunners compete and win trophies going forward.

As a No.9, Gyokeres is a precise finisher who could deliver goals if receives proper support from his teammates. In 102 appearances for Sporting, Gyokeres has delivered 97 goals and 28 assists.

"I think he’s more right for Arsenal than he is for Man United" - Rio Ferdinand on Viktor Gyokeres

Day 1 - Champions Festival - UEFA Champions League Final 2025 - Source: Getty

Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Viktor Gyokeres is more of an ideal signing for the Gunners than Manchester United. The iconic Premier League centre-back also claimed that Gunners supporters would be delighted if they sign Gyokeres, given his proven goalscoring ability.

Speaking on his podcast on YouTube, Rio Ferdinand Presents, the former Manchester United defender said:

"What I would say is Arsenal need a number nine, they need someone who can go in there and score goals. I think the Arsenal faithful will be delighted and rightly so that they’ve got someone who has shown they can score goals. I think he’s more right for Arsenal than he is for Man United, that’s my point with Gyokeres, so watch this space.”

Last season, Gyokeres was one of the most clinical strikers in Europe. He scored 54 goals and contributed 13 assists in 52 games for Sporting across competitions.

About the author

Abel is an European football journalist who focuses primarily on analysis pieces and preview copies at Sportskeeda. A B.Sc degree holder in Economics, he has a previous work experience of 3 years – a year at Opera News Hub where he was promoted as a 'Verified Sports Writer,’ and over two years at Sportskeeda as a revenue-share writer, where his writing skills have ultimately led him to be integrated into the in-house team.

A Manchester United fan who grew up in a family of Red Devils supporters, he started his journey as an ardent football fan in his childhood. He used to spend hours watching the sport with his family and developed a knack for writing about the beautiful game over the years.

He is a huge admirer of Paul Pogba owing to the midfielder's ability to thread passes from anywhere on the pitch and his favorite manager is Jose Mourinho due to the Portuguese's tactical mind. He feels France's triumph in 2018 is his all-time favorite World Cup moment, and reckons Lamine Yamal and Endrick could replicate the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Abel always strives to verify information, especially statistics, before penning a word and offers constructive but not defamatory criticisms. Apart from Europe's top five leagues, he follows the Eredivisie and the Primeira Liga. He loves to spend his free time playing video games like EA FC and watching movies.

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Edited by Nived Zenith