Arsenal have finally secured Viktor Gyökeres after a long-running transfer saga, and the Swedish striker will wear one of the club’s most famous shirts, Thierry Henry’s legendary No. 14.
The deal, worth around €73.5 million, brings the 26-year-old from Sporting CP to North London, ending weeks of tense negotiations over performance-related add-ons. Gyökeres is set for his medical on Saturday before joining Mikel Arteta’s squad for their pre-season tour of Asia.
For Arsenal fans, the No. 14 shirt carries enormous weight. It’s the number Henry turned into a symbol of glory during his record-breaking era at the club. Since the Frenchman’s exit in 2007, only a few have dared to take it on which include Theo Walcott wore it for nearly a decade, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired Arsenal to an FA Cup triumph in it, and Eddie Nketiah gave it his best shot before leaving for Crystal Palace last year.
Now, the baton passes to Gyökeres, who arrives with a record of 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting. Arteta believes the striker can be the final piece in Arsenal’s title puzzle after more than 20 years without a Premier League crown.
“Once we finalise everything, we want him to integrate quickly,” Arteta said, hinting that Gyökeres could make his debut during the Asia tour.
