Viktor Gyokeres: Inside the striker’s unusual rise and incredible stats amid Premier League interest

There aren’t many strikers in world football who can compete with Erling Haaland’s productivity, after the Manchester City superstar scored his 100th goal in just 105 games for the club in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

One player who is keeping pace with the Norwegian goal machine’s prolific form over the past 18 months was reportedly a top target for the Gunners this summer.

As TEAMtalk exclusively revealed recently, Premier League big-hitters Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham are tracking Viktor Gyokeres, who has scored 54 goals in 58 games since joining Sporting CP in the summer of 2023, while rival interest from the continent comes from Paris Saint-Germain.

The 26-year-old Swede has begun the 2024-25 campaign in scintillating form, too, with 10 goals and one assist from six top-flight appearances for the reigning Portuguese champions, as well as notching three goals and two assists in two Nations League games for his country.

With an £83million (€100m, $111m) release clause in his contract at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, Gyokeres is one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe at present. And with previous spells at Brighton, St. Pauli and Coventry, he’s taken an unusual path to the top.

The Stockholm native was just 19 years old when he signed for the Seagulls after impressing with IF Brommapojkarna in the Swedish second tier and winning the Golden Boot at the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. He started out in Brighton’s under-23s and made eight senior appearances in total for the club, but he never featured in a Premier League match.

Gyokeres was only mildly productive during a loan spell with St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga in the 2019-20 season, scoring seven goals in 28 games. And a loan with Swansea City in the Championship over the first half of the following campaign brought even less fortune for the 6ft 2ins striker, who was scoreless across 11 league outings.

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Breakthrough at Coventry

It was then on to Coventry, in another loan deal, for the second half of the 2020-21 season. Although he found the net just three times in 19 appearances, the Sky Blues evidently saw enough potential in the forward to make the move permanent, agreeing a £1 million deal with Brighton.

And it proved to be money incredibly well spent. Gyokeres scored 18 goals in 47 all-competition games in his first full season with the club. He built on that performance the following season, too, bagging 22 times in 50 games, firing Mark Robins’ side into the play-offs and earning a place in the 2022-23 EFL Championship team of the Season.

Gyokeres’ superlative form with Coventry caught the eye of Sporting, who splashed a club record £16.6million (€20m, $20.26m) to sign the Swede in July 2023.

Under highly regarded coach Ruben Amorim in Lisbon, Gyokeres has developed into not only a frighteningly prolific goal-scorer but also one of the most well-rounded elite forwards in Europe.

At Coventry, he’d thrived in a counter-attacking side by utilising his searing pace to attack opponents with blistering runs into the half-spaces, often driving through the inside-left position before cutting centrally to finish with his stronger right foot.

Shining for Sporting

He has retained those traits in Portugal, too, while also developing his ability to find space in the penalty area with savvy, sharp movements over short distances. And, as Sporting are a more possession-based outfit than the Sky Blues were during his time in England, Gyokeres has improved his creativity and hold-up play, employing his large frame to shield the ball and feed midfield runners.

He ranked 10th in the Primeira Liga last term for assists, with six. He also ranked in the 99th percentile among forwards in the Portuguese top flight for shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (4.08), the 97th percentile for expected assisted goals per 90 (0.24) and the 99th percentile for progressive passes received (10.97).

Amorim’s side are also renowned for their intense pressing when out of possession. Gyokeres has been key to this element of Sporting’s play, leading their efforts to regain the ball from the front by closing down defenders and intelligently jumping into passing lanes to grab interceptions and launch attacks from within the final third of the pitch.

Gyokeres finished the season with 29 goals in 33 league games, powering Sporting’s title triumph and named the Primeira Liga’s top scorer and Player of the Year, adding to six Player of the Month awards he’s won since moving to Portugal.

After an all-competitions return of 43 goals and 15 assists from 50 appearances, summer speculation over a move to one the continent’s top clubs was inevitable. And Gyokeres has suggested his price tag might have proven prohibitive for prospective suitors, while hinting at a January switch.

“They [Sporting] wanted most of the starting players to stay and held us tight,” the striker told Swedish newspaper Sporting Bladet. “That’s how it turned out, but I enjoy Sporting very much, so for me it was no problem to stay.

“Of course. You want to play at the highest level. It [his release clause] was probably a bit too much because nothing came of it. Of course it’s a lot of money. But we’ll see what happens next window.”

With 14 goals from nine club and country appearances so far this season, Gyokeres clearly hasn’t let any disappointment over not getting a big-money move affect his performances. And that release clause is looking better value for money with each passing goal-laden week.