Better late than never! Arsenal FC have finally, and we do mean FINALLY completed the acquisition of striker Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP. While he didn’t get signed in time to make the charter flight to the Asia Tour, he is here now, and that’s what counts
Arsenal have needed a new striker for a very long time, and they just kept kicking that can down the road, for the longest time. So they were in a poor position to negotiate with Sporting.
Arsenal confirm the signing of Viktor Gyokeres in a €63m deal (with €10m add-ons).
He has signed a five-year deal and will wear the No.14 shirt. pic.twitter.com/b1C307MP4G
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) July 26, 2025
And thus they ended up paying €63 million ($74m) plus €10m ($11.7m) in add-ons to get Gyokeres, after a very tedious transfer saga that dragged on for weeks.
Why was this all so tedious? Well it does involve Sporting CP, the club that is arguably the most notorious of all for hardball negotiating tactics.
When another team pursues one of their players, they hold out and hold out and hold out until they can extract every last valuation out of the transfer fee. See Bruno Fernandes and Manchester United a few years ago.
But again Arsenal now have their man, and they have him with plenty of time to get him adjusted and acclimated before the season kicks off.
“We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Viktor Gyökeres to the club,” reads the club statement addressed to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
“The consistency he has shown in his performances and availability have been outstanding, and his goal contributions speak for themselves. Viktor has so many qualities. He is a quick and powerful presence up front, with incredible goalscoring numbers at club and international levels. He brings a clinical edge with a high conversion rate of chances into goals, with his intelligent movement in the box making him a constant threat.
“We’re excited about what Viktor brings to our squad and are looking forward to start working with him. We welcome Viktor and his family to Arsenal.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter