“It’s scary to play against him” - Arsenal superstar makes confident trophy prediction after Viktor Gyokeres’ signing

Arsenal defender William Saliba has proclaimed new signing Viktor Gyokeres as 'scary' and believes the striker can help the Gunners win major trophies. Gyokeres joined Arsenal from Sporting CP this week, and has immediately joined his teammates on their pre-season tour of Asia.

The 27-year-old forward, who is expected to start training with Arsenal this week, has already started winning a lot of plaudits from his new teammates. Centre-back Saliba faced Gyokeres in Arsenal's 5-1 win over Sporting in the UEFA Champions League in November 2024 and highlighted how important the latter's presence can be in the squad.

The Frenchman also suggested that Gyokeres' arrival can help Arsenal win trophies. Notably, the Gunners have finished as runners-up in the Premier League in each of the last three seasons. Mikel Arteta has won just a single major piece of silverware since taking over as head coach at the Emirates in 2019.

Saliba was quoted as saying by ESPN:

"We know how good he is, it's scary to play against him. Of course, I'm so happy to have him in my club and I'm sure that he will help us to win games and win trophies. [He is scary] because when you face a striker who scores goals, you have to be focused! But now he's in our team and he will score for us, so that's good," said Saliba.

Gyokeres had an unparalleled season for Sporting in 2024-25, scoring a whopping 54 goals and assisting 12 times in 52 matches across all competitions. In the Liga Portugal itself, he scored 39 goals in 33 appearances, while bagging six goals in eight matches in the UEFA Champions League. The Sweden international has also made 26 appearances for his country, netting on 15 occasions.

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"Our mindset is to win the Premier League" - Arsenal's William Saliba

Apart from Gyokeres' arrival, Sailba was also asked about Arsenal's goals in the upcoming Premier League season. The Gunners will be determined to wrest the league from Liverpool and pick up their first Premier League title since the famous 2003-04 season.

"Every year is different. We have to learn from the last three seasons. Of course, we are lucky to have a chance to compete in the Premier League again to try to win. Our mindset is to win the Premier League, and we will give everything from the first game. We have a lot of new players and they will hopefully help us to win this league," he added.

Arsenal will now take on fellow north London club and one of their biggest rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, in a pre-season friendly on Thursday, July 31. Arteta, who has no silverware to show for his efforts apart from the FA Cup in 2019-20, knows how important the upcoming season is for him to retain his job at the club he once captained as a player.

The Gunners have already made six signings this summer. The likes of Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cristhian Mosquera, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard and Gyokeres are all expected to add improve the side in the 2024-25 season, in which they will aim to win both the Premier League and the Champions League.

Edited by Nived Zenith