Viktor Gyokeres is not just at Arsenal to make up the numbers; he’s there to make history.
The £63million man has chosen to take on the club’s famous No 14 shirt and, with it, all the weight and expectation that comes from following in the footsteps of club record goalscorer Thierry Henry.
‘Of course I know about the history,’ said Gyokeres, calm and assured. ‘There weren’t so many numbers available, so when I knew that No 14 was, it was an easy choice to take it.’
The comparisons to Henry are inevitable, but the Swedish striker is focused on forging his own path. ‘I just want to do my own thing and show my qualities. Of course, he was an amazing player, but different from me.’
Manager Mikel Arteta believes Gyokeres has what it takes to carry the expectation.
‘I think I use the word conviction. That’s the first thing I noticed when I spoke to him,’ the Arsenal boss said.
Viktor Gyokeres has opened up on his decision to take the iconic No 14 shirt at Arsenal
The shirt was made famous by Arsenal’s all-time leading goalscorer Thierry Henry
‘He knew the history of the club. He is someone very determined, someone who was really already attached to the club, the way he was talking about the club, the history, in this case Thierry [Henry], and what the shirt represented. I felt it, so when you feel it, go for it.’
Captain Martin Odegaard has also been impressed with the early signs.
‘He’s a very complete player; physical, strong, fast, good finisher, intelligent,’ said the Norwegian.
‘You can already see the quality, the energy, and the willingness. I’m excited to have him with the team.’
Despite his powerful, all-action style on the pitch, Gyokeres seems a low-key character off it; humble and focused.
The last month has been mentally testing as he waited for the transfer to go through, but he kept his head down.
‘A lot of days were the same kind of routine,’ he said. ‘I woke up, trained, had dinner and then went to bed again. It was like that for a few weeks, but it was worth it for sure.’
Now he’s preparing for a possible debut in Thursday’s north London derby against Spurs in Hong Kong, the first to be held outside the UK before Arsenal open their Premier League campaign at Manchester United, where he’ll face former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim.
Manager Mikel Arteta (left) believes Gyokeres has what it takes to carry the expectation
Gyokeres knows the pressure, but he welcomes it. ‘I think I have enough expectations on myself,’ he said. ‘I’ll just try to perform the way I always have.’
Aked if would be fit and ready to face his former Sporting boss at Old Trafford, he smiled and said without hesitation: Yeah!’
