The Viktor Gyokeres stat NO ONE is talking about

16 Sep 2024 04:30 CDT
5 min read

Viktor Gyokeres, Sporting CP, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Viktor Gyokeres has established himself as one of the form strikers in Europe, with a goal record to envy at the start of the season for Sporting CP, but there’s one statistic of his that no one is talking about.

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Gyokeres hit the headlines during the summer transfer window as Arsenal made him a leading priority for the No.9 role. Chelsea later took an interest but both clubs were put off by his €100 million asking price.

Sporting have no plans to reduce their demands following a start to the campaign for club and country that has seen the 26-year-old score 11 goals and lay on three more in just eight outings for club and country.

Speaking last week, head coach Ruben Amorim said: “Gyokeres is a great player and I think he’s worth €100m. That’s the price he has and we have to stick by it. Whoever wants to sign him will have to pay €100m.”

That may not go down too well with the player himself, who admitted that “the €100m exit clause was probably a bit too much”.

On the face of it, Gyokeres’ numbers are incredible – comparable to Manchester City striker Erling Haaland at the start of the season.

But Haaland doesn’t have the same volume of penalties to help massage his figures.

Gyokeres might have hit double figures already, but it’s worth pointing out that five of these have been from the penalty spot. The Man City ace, who has nine Premier League goals already, has just one.

Now six goals in eight is still a mightily impressive return, but it is not a record that would necessarily elevate him to the dizzy heights that are being spoken about ahead of Sporting CP’s first Champions League match of the season against Lille on Tuesday.

Equally, his goals have come against sides poor even by the standards of Liga Portugal. His only goals from open play this season have come against teams in the lower half of the table.

At international level, he has been playing for a Sweden side that is punching down in Nations League Group C.

STATS

5

Games
8

Goals
1

Assists

Another Darwin Nunez waiting to happen?

Gyokeres’ efforts do deserve respect, however, and it would be unfair to bracket him with Darwin Nunez, who Liverpool spent nearly €100m on based on his scoring exploits in Portugal.

For a start, Gyokeres is no flash-in-the-pan striker. He has scored 17 or more league goals in each of the last three seasons, consistently outperforming his xG, which suggests he is genuinely strong in front of goal.

Even allowing for the penalties he has scored (12 of the 14 he has taken in club football), his goals tally outstrips his npxG. This statistic holds true for his spells at St Pauli, Coventry and Sporting CP – all the three senior clubs he’s had significant game time with.

In short, he’s a hell of a finisher.

Compared

VS

€25.6M	ETV	€56.7M
€19.2M - €32M	ETV Range	€42.6M - €70.9M
26 years old (04 Jun, 1998)	Age	25 years old (24 Jun, 1999)
Sweden	Nationality	Uruguay

Furthermore – and this is an important point for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in particular – Gyokeres has significant experience of English football.

His formative years as an early professional were largely spent in England, albeit mostly in the Championship on loan with Swansea and Coventry from Brighton.

Gyokeres, then, should be immune from the type of culture shock that struck Nunez.

The price is still a drawback. With Sporting demanding €100m, this is way in excess of the player’s €25.6m Estimated Transfer Value (ETV).

If he keeps finding the net, which history suggests will be the case, the interest from the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal will not go away and Sporting might have to start answering some tough questions again.