Mikel Arteta warned that he is “not going to stop” Viktor Gyökeres from playing for Arsenal as soon as he is fully fit.
Gyökeres is certainly chomping at the bit. “To be a part of this club and to score in this kit and with this badge in front of all the supporters, I can’t wait,” Arsenal’s latest recruit feverishly told his new employers. “It will be an amazing feeling.”
The 27-year-old was signed in a deal worth up to a reported £63.8 million ($85.8 million) on Saturday after a tortuous series of negotiations with Sporting CP. The Portuguese champions’ president supposedly reneged on a gentleman’s agreement which would have allowed Gyökeres to leave for a reduced fee, ensuring that his final weeks in Lisbon were fraught with tensions.
During this stand-off, Gyökeres refused to return to first-team training. This bold stance has not only cost him financially, but physically as well.
“I think he hasn’t had a single training session with the team since the last game with Sporting when they became champions,” Arteta noted when asked if Gyökeres was close to an unofficial Arsenal debut. “So we will assess him tomorrow, he’s done all the medicals, everything is looking good but to get him up to speed with the right levels of fitness I think is very important.
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“So we’re not going to stop him, we want him with us as quick as possible but we’ll have to assess and the medical team will do that.”
After an entertaining 3–2 victory over Newcastle United in Singapore, Arsenal face north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday in Hong Kong for the first ever edition of this derby staged outside England. The Gunners conclude pre-season with a pair of friendlies at the Emirates Stadium against Spanish opposition—Villarreal (Aug. 6) and Athletic Club (Aug. 9)—before beginning their assault on the Premier League title with a trip to Manchester United’s Old Trafford.
Gyökeres famously thrived at Sporting under the tutelage of current United boss Ruben Amorim. There was talk of a late hijack attempt from the Red Devils only for the Swede to favour Arsenal.
Arteta described the process behind securing Gyökeres’s signature as “very, very different”. “I think the club has done incredibly well,” he continued. “Andrea [Berta, sporting director] and his team, they’ve been absolutely fantastic. I mean so early in the window, we already have the reinforcements that we wanted.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Looking Good’—Mikel Arteta Hints at Viktor Gyokeres Arsenal Debut Date.
