"It's scary to play": William Saliba sends message to PL clubs after Arsenal finalise £64m signing
Arsenal recently revealed Viktor Gyökeres as their sixth signing of the summer transfer window.
The Sweden international was determined to join the Gunners, and the protracted transfer saga ended last week following an agreement over a £64 million package.
Gyökeres’ arrival at Arsenal has been met by excitement from the fans, and his teammate William Saliba is obviously delighted to have him in the squad next season.
In an interview covered by ESPN, Saliba praised the quality of the 27-year-old striker. He added that he is ‘scary to play against’ and is so happy to have him at Arsenal.
The Frenchman is confident the Swede can help the Gunners win games and trophies.
He said: “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.
“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.”
Gyökeres had a phenomenal 2024/25 season with Sporting CP in Portugal. He netted a stunning tally of 54 goals alongside 13 assists from just 52 appearances in all competitions.
The former Coventry City man proved his credentials in the Champions League with six goals, including a hat-trick, in a statement 4-1 win for Sporting CP over Manchester City in Lisbon.
Gyökeres will face a stiffer challenge in the Premier League as teams will be aware of his quality in front of goal. We could see plenty of man-marking to limit the time and space for him to shoot.
Still, we fully expect Gyökeres to adapt to league’s demands. He was hellbent on joining Arsenal and will surely want to hit the ground running from the off with plenty of goals.
The striker could make his friendly debut against Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong on July 31. It will be the first-ever north London derby to be played outside of the United Kingdom.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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