Three-time Premier League-winning manager Jose Mourinho has given his thoughts on the imminent arrival of Swedish goal-machine Viktor Gyokeres in the English top flight following Arsenal’s agreement to sign the striker from Sporting CP for €73.5 million.
Gyokeres has been a revelation since arriving at Sporting CP back in the summer of 2023. In 102 appearances, the Sweden international has bagged 95 goals, delivering two Liga Portugal titles as well as one Taca de Portugal crown.
After a drawn out transfer saga that saw Gyokeres fall out with the hierarchy of the Liga Portugal champions, a switch from Lisbon to London is now all but done. While the Swede’s exploits in Portugal are by no means a small feat, whether he will be able to replicate them in the Premier League remains a big question.
Sharing his thoughts about the 27-year-old ahead of his move to the Emirates, Mourinho, who coached Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, believes Gyokeres will face a much sterner test in England than he did in Portugal.
“He’s a great player, I have no doubt,” Mourinho told Record. “But Sporting had a way of playing very much around him, very adapted.
“I don’t know what [sporting director] Hugo Viana and Ruben [Amorim] initially thought; he’s a player with great potential. But in England, he’ll play against stronger teams, better players.”
A couple of players have transferred from Portugal and failed to find their feet in England, with Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez a prime example. Gyokeres will be desperate to avoid the same fate when he finally arrives in the Premier League.
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