Viktor Gyökeres Addresses Criticism Following Contentious Transfer to Arsenal

Viktor Gyökeres, the Swedish striker, has publicly addressed the criticism he faced during his controversial transfer saga from Sporting CP to Arsenal. After finalizing his move at the end of July, Gyökeres faced backlash from Sporting fans for his refusal to participate in preseason training and his implied intention to never play for the club again.

In a press conference at Bosön, Gyökeres expressed his frustration towards public opinions regarding his situation, remarking, "There are many people out there who think a lot about things they don’t have exact knowledge of." He described the transfer process as challenging and admitted there were difficulties in his relationship with Sporting, particularly with club president Frederico Varandas, who had publicly criticized him. Gyökeres acknowledged minimal communication with Varandas since his exit but stated he bears no ill feelings towards the club, underscoring that he understands the management's perspective.

Reflecting on his time at Sporting, he remarked, "It’s clear that it was unfortunate, but there’s nothing I could have done differently about how it ended. It happened this way this time." His absence from preseason training was attributed to ongoing negotiations for his transfer, and he stated, "I have waited quite a bit for a long time, but it was nice that it was resolved in reasonable time."

Gyökeres made his Arsenal debut in mid-August, initially struggling with performance and receiving mockery on social media. However, he bounced back with two goals in his second Premier League match against Leeds United. Following a recent defeat against Liverpool, he responded to former player Fredrik Ljungberg’s criticisms about the team’s defensive strategy, emphasizing the need for improvement while acknowledging the difficulties of consistent performance in such a competitive environment. With a clear ambition to compete for titles at Arsenal, Gyökeres stated, "We want to win titles and go for it. We have an extremely good team."

As Gyökeres continues to settle into his new role, he remains focused on demonstrating his value at Arsenal and mitigating the negative sentiments stemming from his past with Sporting.