Arsenal fans come to immediate Viktor Gyokeres verdict after seeing his first 14 minutes for the club

The former Sporting CP attacker joined Arsenal on their Asia trip after agreeing to a five-year contract last week.

Fans have already formed opinions about the new player after Viktor Gyokeres made his debut for Arsenal in Thursday’s friendly match against Spurs.

After a summer-long transfer drama that struck multiple sticking points about add-ons and bonuses between the Gunners and Sporting CP, Gyokeres, 27, was ultimately revealed as an Arsenal player last week.

After scoring 54 goals in 52 games for the Portuguese champions in 2024–2025, the 27-year-old agreed to a transfer worth up to £73 million and signed a five-year contract with Mikel Arteta’s team.

When the Swede first arrived, he was given the famous number 14 shirt that had once belonged to Thierry Henry, the top goal scorer for Arsenal.

Gyokeres was also eager to emphasise that it was “not really” his “intention” to be compared to Henry, despite the clear parallels made by supporters and the media.

“In particular, here. Gyokeres stated, “I just want to do my own thing and show my qualities.” He [Henry] was undoubtedly a fantastic player, but he wasn’t like me. I simply want to attempt doing things on my own.

Head coach Arteta, meanwhile, described what he saw about Gyokeres right away when they first met.

“I use the word conviction and that’s the first thing that I noticed when I spoke to him,” Arteta said.

“The way he talked about the club, its history, and in this case, Thierry, and what the shirt stood for showed that he was a highly driven individual who was already very devoted to the team. He sensed it right immediately, so when you sense it, act on it.

Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Cristhian Mosquera, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Noni Madueke, and Gyokeres are the six players the Gunners have signed so far this summer.

Gyokeres started on the bench and Kai Havertz headed the Far East line when Arsenal played their north London rivals Spurs in a friendly on Thursday in Hong Kong.

David Raya was infuriated as the ball passed over his head from a distance as Spurs took the lead through a spectacular shot from Pape Matar Sarr. And in front of 47,000 spectators, Spurs won 1-0 thanks to Sarr’s goal. Many Arsenal supporters expressed their happiness on social media after Gyokeres replaced Havertz at the 76-minute mark.

Someone commented: “I feel like anyone that rated or allowed themselves to be gaslighted on Havertz shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy Gyokeres, just exit the sport.”

Another said: “Gyokeres can’t be included in the game since Arsenal doesn’t give their forwards chances in open play. Havertz has the same issue. Arteta appears incompetent.

Another said, “Good lesson to see that Gyokeres should be starting over Havertz, and that we badly need a LW.”

According to a fourth, “Gyokeres should begin without fail. I’m not sure how you can still believe that Havertz should be your main character after the events of the previous season; Arteta’s tenacity must be the reason. His desire for the Havertz project to succeed is intense.

The Gunners’ next games are against La Liga team Villarreal at the Emirates on August 6 and Athletic Club on August 9.