Viktor Gyokeres – The Empire of The Kop

Agent claims £86m Sporting gem would find it ‘difficult’ to stay if Amorim leaves for Liverpool

Liam Togher — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 10:35:31 +0000

If Ruben Amorim is to leave Sporting Lisbon for Liverpool this summer, there could be a few players following him out the door.

Hasan Cetinkaya has said that one of his clients in Viktor Gyokeres would find it ‘difficult’ to remain at the Estadio Jose Alvalade if the 39-year-old were to depart, with the Sweden international having cited his manager as the main reason for coming to the Portuguese capital.

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Speaking to A Bola (via Sport Witness), the striker’s agent said: “Yes, it will be more difficult for Viktor to stay if Rúben Amorim leaves Sporting. Because Viktor came precisely because of Rúben. The day we met, I said to Rúben: ‘Here’s my boy, he came to Sporting because of you’.

“Of course, it’s an honour for any player to be able to play in the Champions League. Viktor is no exception in that respect, but there are other important things and Rúben Amorim is one of them. If he leaves, it will be more difficult for Viktor to continue.”

Cetinkaya added that Gyokeres, whose contract contains a €100m (£86m) release clause, has some ‘top’ Premier League clubs showing interest in the 25-year-old, although he didn’t specify who those suitors are.

There are numerous instances of players following their former manager to another club, including some who reunited at Liverpool (Joe Allen/Brendan Rodgers and Fabio Aurelio/Rafa Benitez spring to mind).

Therefore, if Amorim is to take the job at Anfield, it seems inevitable that several members of his current Sporting squad will be touted with a potential move to Merseyside.

Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepulveda has claimed that Chelsea and Arsenal are preparing offers for Gyokeres, so the London duo could be the foremost Premier League contenders for his signature.

However, with Cetinkaya saying that Amorim’s presence was what attracted the 25-year-old to Lisbon, perhaps the manager might also entice the ex-Coventry striker to Anfield, should he be the man to replace Jurgen Klopp in the dugout.

The Swedish marksman could be one of the hottest properties in European football this summer, having netted 36 goals already this season. We don’t know yet if Liverpool will be in the mix to snap him up, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the Reds were among the leading candidates to sign him, especially if his current boss ends up on Merseyside.

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Liverpool scouts watched 20-goal hitman register a hat-trick of sorts in 5-1 romp

Liam Togher — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 18:28:56 +0000

Liverpool had scouts present at a recent fixture in Portugal to keep an eye on one player who’s been in red-hot form this season.

If you were to engage in Dota 2 gambling involving a Sporting Lisbon match, you’d probably wager a few quid on Viktor Gyokeres getting among the goals, with the Swedish striker netting 20 times in 23 games already in the current campaign.

According to HITC, the Reds dispatched a delegation to the Estadio Jose Alvalade last weekend to watch Ruben Amorim’s side cruise to a 5-1 win over Estoril and preserve their place at the top of the Primeira Liga.

Newcastle also sent scouts to the Portuguese capital to keep an eye on the former Brighton and Coventry striker, who’s believed to have a €52m (£45m) release clause in his contract.

How did Liverpool target Gyokeres perform last weekend?

Considering his goalscoring form this season, and that Sporting put five goals past their opponents, it was quite a surprise that the 25-year-old didn’t plunder any of that quintet.

However, he was far from ineffective against mid-table Estoril, as he laid claim to a hat-trick of assists, setting up both Marcus Edwards strikes as well as the late effort from Francisco Trincao.

Gyokeres had four shots of his own on the night and completed a remarkable tally of six key passes, while he also proved to be a handful out of possession by winning seven of his 13 duels (Sofascore).

The Swede has now registered at least one goal contribution in nine of his last 11 league games, while he reached the 20-goal mark for the season a few days later with a brace in Sporting’s 4-0 cup win over Tondela.

Could Gyokeres be an ideal transfer target for Liverpool?

The 25-year-old’s phenomenal goal tally instantly marks him out as a true predator inside the penalty area, while he already has plenty of experience in English football from his time with Brighton, Coventry and Swansea.

He netted 43 goals in 116 games with the Sky Blues, who he helped to the Championship play-off final last season, although he never made a Premier League appearance during his time with the Seagulls.

Just as Liverpool signed Darwin Nunez off the back of a hugely prolific season in Portugal two years ago, it’s not unthinkable that they could do likewise with Gyokeres to give Jurgen Klopp’s squad another centre-forward alternative to the Uruguayan.

Whether the Anfield hierarchy will part with £45m for an addition to an already stellar forward line is open to question, but the Sweden international could hardly be doing much more to put his name in the shop window.

Even if the Reds’ scouting team didn’t see him score against Estoril, he surely would’ve shown enough in his overall performance so that the subsequent report on him would’ve contained plenty of positives.

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Club legend would love to see Liverpool win the race for ‘complete’ £45m wiz they scouted lately

Liam Togher — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 13:19:06 +0000

One Sporting Lisbon legend would rather see the club’s prolific striker Viktor Gyokeres sign for Liverpool than another Premier League suitor.

The Reds and Newcastle both sent scouts to the Estadio Jose Alvalade last weekend to watch the Sweden international provide a hat-trick of assists in a 5-1 thrashing of Estoril, with the 25-year-old boasting a €52m (£45m) release clause at the Primeira Liga leaders (HITC).

Manuel Fernandes, an icon of Sporting who sits second in their all-time scoring list, spoke to A Bola about the former Brighton attacker, who he dubbed a ‘complete’ player.

The 72-year-old said of Gyokeres: “I honestly hope he doesn’t leave Sporting, at least before the end of the season. I think it’s difficult for any club to beat the clause in this winter market. If you have to leave, let it be to a big club, like Liverpool or Bayern Munich.

“For example, Liverpool have players there who are not half as good as Gyokeres. I see him, for example, at the level of Bayern Munich, but for now, let him stay. It is clear that he feels good at Sporting. He is a very serious and focused player.”

It’s no wonder the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle are watching Gyokeres with such intent, with the Swedish marksman hitting 20 goals in 23 appearances for Sporting so far this season (Transfermarkt).

Even if he didn’t find the net when the Reds watched him against Estoril, he still impressed with three assists, seven successful duels and six key passes (Sofascore), proving a real handful for the visitors to contain.

It speaks to our reputation as a club that an impartial observer in Fernandes would rather see the 25-year-old move to Anfield than St James’ Park, even if the Sporting legend is being harsh on our current squad with his remark that some LFC players aren’t ‘half as good’ as the Swede.

Gyokeres is already accustomed to the rigours of the English game from his time with Brighton, Swansea and Coventry, so he probably wouldn’t require any great bedding-in period if he were to join Liverpool this year.

Even with Mo Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations, the Reds probably won’t splash out on a forward in the January transfer window. However, if the Sweden striker were to keep scoring at his current rate, he’ll become increasingly impossible to ignore.

Let’s see if, further down the line, Anfield chiefs grant Fernandes his wish of making Merseyside the 25-year-old’s future home.

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