Although it was a friendly match before the season with Villarreal, NHM Arsenal still felt excited and expected to come to the Emirates Stadium to witness the rookie worth 64 million pounds of Viktor Gyokeres.
The Gunners expect the 27 -year -old Swedish striker to be a missing piece to help the team raise the trophy for the first time since 2020. The cheers resounded before the ball rolled for Gyokeres when his name was promoted in the starting lineup showed the influence of former Sporting Lisbon player. The only cheers comparable to that cheers was when the 15 -year -old talented player Max Dowman was introduced.
Everyone expects every Swedish player and it seems that his teammates are also trying to make sure Gyokeres scored right in his first appearance and on his new home field.
That did not happen when Arsenal lost 2-3 before Villarreal, with the presence of summer rookie Christian Norgaard and captain Martin Odegaard in every round. But there have been good signs, and the time Gyokeres plays will be very important for his physical strength before Arsenal started the Premier League season with Man United on Sunday, August 17.
Not practicing with any team for two months after leaving Sporting Lisbon, and another Arsenal match on Saturday against Bilbao, coach Mikel Arteta said the Swedish striker would be “100%” for the test at Old Trafford.
“I think about the spirit and understand what he needs to do, he will reach 100% or more,” coach Arteta said.
“Viktor is very willing and confident to play immediately, so I don't doubt that he will be in a really good position. Today we have broken that boundary, because I think it is very important for him to play at the beginning and start to feel and connect with the team.
He was only with us about a week, but I saw a lot of things and his purpose, especially the way he attacked in certain spaces. In general, for many players who have not played much, we have a lot of time to prepare for the match (against Bilbao) on Saturday with a much better body, “the Spanish strategist added.
When asked how long the former Coventry striker takes to integrate into the new environment, Arteta is optimistic: “Every day practicing, I think Viktor has a very good feeling. You are building an external relationship, this is really important to the players who will help him get the position he needs.
Physically, he did not practice with the team for two months. I think he has participated in 5 training sessions today. I think he will progress more and better. “
