London, July 27 Arsenal has sealed the signing of Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon for 55 million pounds (74 million U.S. dollars), with a possible extra 8.5 million pounds in incentives.
Gyokeres has agreed to a five-year deal with the London-based club after passing his medical tests on Saturday and will now join up with his new teammates in Singapore.
During his two seasons with Sporting, Viktor helped the team win back-to-back Primeira Liga titles, a national cup, and was the league’s top scorer in both campaigns. He has also excelled at international level, scoring 12 goals in his last 17 appearances for Sweden.
“I just felt that it was the right club for me,” said the 27-year-old, who netted 39 league goals in Portugal last season, adding that his side’s 5-1 defeat at home to Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League last November had been a factor in his decision.
“When I was playing against Arsenal last season, I could really feel it was a very strong team and very difficult to play against.”
“That made me choose Arsenal, and of course all the history the club has and the massive fanbase,” he said, adding that he was also impressed by the club’s supporters.
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta welcomed the arrival of the striker. “Viktor has so many qualities. He is a quick and powerful presence up front, with incredible goalscoring numbers at club and international levels.”
“He brings a clinical edge with a high conversion rate of chances into goals, with his intelligent movement in the box making him a constant threat,” added Arteta.
Arsenal has been busy in this summer’s transfer market, with the arrival of players such as Spain international midfielder Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard from Brentford, Chelsea duo Kepa Arrizabalaga and Noni Madueke, and Valencia’s Spain under-21 defender Cristhian Mosquera.
(Auto generated news from IANS Feed. This has not been edited by enewstime desk)
